


Shakedown

by HeliosHellion



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-05-19 03:12:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 77,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19348348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeliosHellion/pseuds/HeliosHellion
Summary: It's been seven years since Rhys and Vaughn have even spoken to each other, Rhys is caught in Katagawa's game, and Vaughn knows if he sticks around too long, he'll never leave Promethea again.





	1. In Which Rhys Is In Over His Head,

The world of Promethea is cast in an eternal twilight. It’s the whole reason why the lights never go off in the cities, why the large screens never stop flashing, why the world never goes truly rests. It’s a world devoid of true, natural life, instead it’s a life defined only by business, the factories, the glamour, the name, a life that was kickstarted by Atlas when they first landed on the planet long ago. It’s a city of lies, backstabbing, and status, there’s a reason why Pandorans would much rather stay on Pandora than visit Promethea.

 

Regardless, the world has its reasons for existing, despite its many, many flaws, which is what Rhys tries to tell himself every time he wakes up.

 

It’s been four years since Rhys first landed on Promethea with a stolen deed in his grip. This is before he makes several bad fashion choices, before he hires Zer0 as his bodyguard and most prized agent, and before the Children of the Vault make their names known. During this time, he’s somewhat made a name for himself as the current CEO of the Atlas Corporation, though there was understandable pushback when he first started, the Atlas Corporation being regarded as the weakest compared to its sister corporations, being one of many to be absolutely crushed under the foot of Hyperion. Despite this, Rhys continues on, and has certainly revived interest in Atlas and it’s wares. With the new job, he has certainly taught himself to be more conniving when speaking with his competitors, and with this, he has gained a few favors, gathered some possible blackmail material, and kept Atlas afloat during the years, yet despite all this, Rhys cannot say he has made real, true friends.

 

Sure, he has his workers, his agents, his secretaries, but any chance at a friendship is absolutely trounced by Rhys’s efforts to keep Atlas alive, metaphorically and literally, he is Atlas, trying to hold his company up on his shoulders. He’s much more interested in staying alive, and keeping away from the threat of forced buyout, than keeping real friendships alive. This is why he hasn’t spoken to Fiona, Sasha, or Vaughn in four years, despite promising to long ago. Loaderbot initially joined Rhys on Promethea before leaving to return to Gortys about two years ago, something about possible vault-related discoveries, and Yvette decided the corporate life was too much to handle, and stuck with Vaughn and the Children of Helios. Rhys is a turtle with his corporation as a shell, never coming out to discover the rest of the worlds beyond Promethea and Pandora.

 

Despite wanting to, Rhys never complains, simply drowning himself in expensive wine and bad rom-coms.

 

So, four years into his venture to rise Atlas up like the phoenix, is when Maliwan sends him a message.

 

‘Strongfork,’ The message read, ‘I’d like to discuss something with you regarding an alliance,’ It’s short and sweet, Rhys has to appreciate, but at his eyes scan the name of the sender, his brow furrows just a bit.

 

‘Katagawa Jr,’ Is the name, and it takes Rhys a second to recognize who that is.

 

The original head of acquisitions and mergers, Katagawa Sr, kicked the bucket not too long ago, so he has to assume his son picked up the reins. The new Katagawa, the son, is a new face in the business. Rhys concludes the kid wants to discuss a merger, or something stupid like that, yet he rereads the message over and over again, and he finds himself intriged by the proposition.

 

So, leaning back in his chair too big for his gangly frame, he asks his secretary to clear his schedule as he sends a reply.

 

‘Alright, Katagawa,’ He types, ‘Make it worth my while, tomorrow at 8.’

 

He’s about to head out of the office for the night before he gets a reply instantly. With a strange look on his face, he turns his palm to the sky, the screen now projected out of the aperture in his hand.

 

‘You won’t regret it ;)’ The reply says, and Rhys finds himself walking a bit slower to his living quarters. Was that a wink? Who does that? Why is Rhys suddenly now regretting agreeing to meet him? Rhys has to admit this sounds like a setup for getting murdered, because this is how you get murdered. Well, he’s already said yes, and he isn’t one for comitting corporate suicide by retracting a deal.

 

He stops right in front of his trophy cabinet, the thin glass window showing off the several pieces of memorabilia he has collected over the years, and at the top of the case, he stares into the bright blue eye staring back at him.

 

Sometimes he forgets it’s even there.

 

He turns back around and continues walking, leaving the eye in it’s trophy case prison.

 

He convinces his secretary to head home early, not wanting to overwork the woman. She bids him goodbye, and Rhys begins his own venture back to his place, an apartment with gaudy decoration, in hopes to get a good night sleep for the night.

 

Rhys passes by the two security guards in full armor outside his office, watching them play cards and talking family life.

 

“Try not to get assassinated, boss,” One of the guards says, “We’d never forgive ‘ya,”

 

Rhys smiles as he gives the man a shrug, “I’ll try not to,” He replies, backing away from the conversation before spinning back around with the heel of his boot. “Have a good night, guys,”

 

The walk home is nothing special, a few occasional assassination attempts by rival companies here and there, but they’re quickly disposed of, with Rhys believing the rival companies are just hiring anybody these days. He doesn’t actually kill the assassins, probably, one of them is shocked unconscious, one of them Rhys decides to hire, and the last ran off after Rhys catches his fist in a crushing mechanical grip.

 

“Sorry,” He calls out to the man, scurrying off while holding his definitely broken hand, “Send the hospital bill to Atlas,”

 

When he does get home, he leaves his stun baton on the table.

 

Unable to get even a second of peace in his dark, sad apartment, he gets a call.  

 

Groaning, he slumps himself against his couch, back against the armrest as he projects the call with his palm. It’s from the new field agent he hired, Lorelei, spunky and badass, Rhys had trouble turning her down.

 

So, he accepts the call.

 

“What’s new, Lorelei?” He asks, shrugging his vest off nonchalantly.

 

The first thing he hears is a gunshot, then Lorelei’s exasperated voice.

 

“Rhys! Good to see you,” She says, firing a pistol off in a random direction. “While you’ve been fighting the corporate war up in your penthouse, I’ve been doing the real work down here,”

 

“Uh,” Rhys sighs, “What’s the situation?”

 

“Well,” She says, “Bandits wanted to stop by one of our supply warehouses, wanting a tour of the facility,” She gives him a cheeky smile, and Rhys laughs. “I’m showing them around,”

 

“Make sure our new friends feel welcomed, then, Lorelei,” Rhys replies, watching as Lorelei stabs a man in the throat.

 

“Trying the best I can, boss,” She replies, “Try not to die,” She tells him.

 

Rhys gives her a funny look, “Why do people keep telling me that?”

 

She gives him an expressionless stare. “Maybe because you’re the most accident-prone man in the whole business,”

 

“Ah, wow, thanks, Lorelei, I can really feel the love,” Rhys snarks right back, and Lorelei laughs.

 

“Well,” She concludes, “Just wanted to let you know the situation so you don’t piss your pants the next time you check on your warehouses,”

 

Rhys rolls his eyes.

 

“Alright, goodnight, Lorelei, try not to get blood all over the supplies,”

 

“No promises, Rhys,”

 

And then the call ends, and Rhys is left in darkness yet again.

 

So, he rises up from the couch, leaving his vest on the ground as he lazily saunters through the apartment, grabbing a drink and disappearing into his bedroom so he can drown in a bed too big and luxurious for one man. He has to admit it’s much better than the days of sleeping on a caravan couch, or on the cold hard ground. When he thinks of the caravan, he sets his drink on the end table and falls face-first into the bed, pushing his boots off with his heels. Sometimes it just strikes him, that it’s been years since him and his friends opened a vault, slaughtered a vault monster, and went their separate ways. He knows Fiona and Sasha left Pandora, though he’s not too sure where they ended up. It could’ve been one of the Edens, or not. He’s certain Vaughn’s still in Helios surrounded by creepy cultists. He thinks about calling them, but then he convinces himself that they’ve probably changed their numbers, or something, maybe even changed their identities to continue their con-woman ways, or something. Maybe they wouldn’t even want to talk to him. Rhys lets out a long groan in the cushion of the mattress.

 

“Good luck on Promethea, bro,” Vaughn told him four years ago, right before Rhys left Pandora.

 

“I’ll see you later, bro,” Rhys replied, “Good luck with being a bandit-lord-king thing,”

 

That was the last time they saw each other in person. They called, sure, but as the years passed, those calls became fewer and fewer until Rhys hasn’t spoken to Vaughn for what feels like centuries.

 

But, this is what must be done to keep Atlas afloat, with the world on his shoulders, nothing else matters. This is what Rhys tells himself to sleep at night.

 

He ends up staring at his palm’s projection, looking up at his contacts silently, coming dangerously close to calling to see how Fiona and Sasha are doing. He knows he’ll break if he even sees Vaughn’s name in the list.

 

However, he stops himself, closing his hand in a fist to put the idea down.

 

Before he forces himself asleep, he removes his prosthetic arm. It’s much easier to remove than the one Hyperion created. Rhys knows Handsome Jack’s gone out of his head for good, yet for some reason, he takes the arm off each and every night, not wanting to get strangled in his sleep.

 

Leaving his arm discarded on the floor, Rhys rests on his side and squeezes his eyes shut. He has a meeting with Katagawa Jr tomorrow.

 

He doesn’t dream anymore, he just drifts in darkness until the morning. Maybe he’s asleep, maybe he’s awake, Rhys isn’t too sure.

 

But, when tomorrow comes, Rhys wears his richest suit, and makes sure his hair is slicked back perfectly. Back in his office, he greets his secretary by handing her a large cup of coffee, and settles into his desk chair comfortably.

 

He checks in with Lorelei, who is currently putting a bullet between the eyes of the man that attempted to sell Atlas blueprints to Vladof. He promises to give her a raise when she returns, and she cracks a joke about deserving more than a raise. He spends more time than he’ll admit staring at the drinking bird on his desk with a big blue tophat, dipping and dipping rhythmically.  

 

After awhile, his secretary taps the intercom button.

 

“Sir, uh, Mr. Katagawa is here.” She says.

 

“Crap,” Rhys yelps, straightening his chair and readjusting his tie, “Send him in, Abigail,”

 

“Sure thing,” She replies, and Rhys quickly gets to making his desk look formal.

 

He actually ends up pushing everything onto the floor, then hiding it under the desk itself, but leaving the dipping bird. He runs over to a cabinet nearby, retrieving a bottle of wine and two glasses, resting them on the desk.

 

Rhys quickly pours a glass and immediately chugs it all, and then does it a second time as Katagawa steps in.

 

He stops himself from choking on his drink as he lowers the glass back down onto the desk. He clears his throat and leans back, presenting his office. “Come in, come in,”

 

This is before Katagawa chops his arm off and drills a hole in his head to mimic Rhys, so all Rhys sees is a newbie in the business with wide eyes and big dreams.

 

Katagawa saunters into the office, running a hand through his black hair. “Good to finally meet you, Strongfork,” He says, holding a hand out to Rhys.

 

Rhys has to admit, the man dresses quite nicely, the green dress shirt plus the black coat, and a cute little Maliwan logo designed in the collar.

 

When Rhys takes Katagawa’s hand, he takes it with his cybernetic arm, and he notices the intrigued look in Katagawa’s gaze as he stares down at the arm.

 

“Let’s skip the formalities,” Rhys replies, “What does Maliwan want with Atlas?”

 

Katagawa retracts his hand and he’s quiet for a second. He suddenly begins to laugh, a gentle chuckle as he passes by Rhys. “Maliwan doesn’t want anything to do with Atlas, Strongfork,”

 

“Oh,” Rhys replies, turning around to watch Katagawa pour himself a glass of wine. He holds back on commenting. “Really?”

 

“No, not at all,” Katagawa continues, “I’m simply a brand new face among a sea of legends, looking for a friend,”

 

“So,” Rhys begins, folding his arms against his chest, “You’re openly admitting you’re using me to get ahead of the game,”

 

Katagawa flashes him a dangerous kind of smile. “Maybe I am, or maybe I’m just looking for a real and true friend,” Leaning forward, he gives Rhys a strange kind of look as his voice quiets down. “I guess you’ll have to find out,”

 

Rhys gives in, taking a step forward in Katagawa’s game.

 

“Alright, Katagawa,” He says, pouring himself another glass of wine. “Keep talking,”

 

Katagawa raises a brow. “I’m just saying,” He says, “It’d be nice to have somebody close that isn’t,” He pauses, gazing up and down Rhys’s figure, “Solely interested in his own ego. We could be good friends, you and me,” He takes a sip of his wine, licking his lips before he continues, “Talk about boys, gossip about people we don’t like, or whatever it is friends do,”

 

Rhys nods towards him. “You give me more wine, and I’ll talk about whatever you want,”

 

“Ooh, I’ll keep that in mind, Strongfork,”

 

Rhys blinks before turning away. “Shouldn’t have told you that,” He says, “When you inevitably end up blackmailing me, know that I have no control over what I say when I am drunk,”

 

Katagawa chuckles. “I would never dream of blackmailing you, Strongfork, I admire you too much,”

 

Rhys looks back at him. “You admire me?” He asks, laughing.

 

“Of course,” Katagawa replies, “I mean, you single-handedly revived a dead corporation, not to mention improved many of the weaponry designs yourself,”

 

There’s a small, very tiny, very unimportant voice in the back of Rhys’s head that tells him that Katagawa is most certainly bullshitting everything he says, yet Rhys was never one to ignore a compliment.

 

“You sure you’re new to the business life?” Rhys replies, snorting, “Because you’re a master at ass-kissing,”

 

Katagawa shrugs, “Simply speaking the truth, my dear friend,”

 

Rhys laughs into his glass before drinking. “Whatever you say, Katagawa,”

 

“Maybe I’ll end up getting my arm ripped off by an angry, crazed lunatic, and we could become cybernetic buddies,” Katagawa muses, and Rhys gives him a perplexed look.

 

“First of all, please don’t try to get your arm ripped off, second of all, I didn’t get this out of some freak accident or whatever,” He says, flexing his mechanical fingers.

 

Katagawa is instantly interested, leaning forward as he watches the arm. “Tell me about it, then,” He asks, “Please,”

 

Rhys raises a brow, “Do you have a fetish for cybernetics or something? Please don’t say yes, that’d be so awkward,” He rests his glass back on the desk.

 

“Mr. Strongfork,” Katagawa gasps, putting a hand on his chest. “What kind of assumption is that?”

 

“You haven’t answered my question,” Rhys replies.

 

“I’m just interested!” Katagawa answers, “Honest. It’s much more advanced than the usual prosthetics you see nowadays,”

 

“Well, uh,” Suddenly, Rhys feels slightly nervous, but he continues, “The last place I worked,” Rhys begins, “I paid for the cybernetics with my quarterly bonus. It’s easier to data-mine when you’re practically a walking computer,”

 

Turning his palm to the sky, the aperture in his hand opens, and a projection of an adorable kitten video lights up the room.

 

“Not actually a cat person, by the way,” Rhys murmurs, leaning close to Katagawa, “Just trying to show off my capabilities,”

 

He closes his fist and the projection ends, while Katagawa is left starstruck.

 

“Interesting,” He replies, “Very interesting,”

 

“Again,” Rhys says, “Are you sure you don’t have a fetish for cybernetics?”

 

Katagawa rolls his eyes. “Moving on, is that an echo-eye?” He asks, gesturing to Rhys’s eye.

 

Rhys nods. “Yeah, it is,” He says, “They’re pretty hard to come by, nowadays, I was lucky to find one after Hyperion’s station crashed,” He knows he’ll sound too much like a fanboy if he refers to the space station by its correct name.

 

“Regardless, echo-eyes are highly valuable, so if you ever decide to sell your eye for whatever reason,”

 

Rhys begins to laugh, “Man, you’re weird,”

 

“Why, thank you,” Katagawa replies, flashing that smirk again.

 

“That wasn’t a com-”

 

“I’m impressed by your trophy case,” Katagawa muses, quickly switching topics so fast, Rhys is sure he’s getting whiplash.

 

“Oh, uh, thanks? If you try opening it, it’ll automatically self destruct, so, y’know, don’t touch it,”

 

“So, what’s so important that you’d implement such a mechanism? Is it valuable?”

 

Rhys looks away, raising his glass up to his lips to avoid responding. The bright blue eye on the top shelf still remains.

 

“Yeah, you could say that,” He says. “Like I said, don’t touch it,”

 

Katagawa raises his hands. “I promise I will not touch your trophy case,”

 

“Thank you,”

 

So, they carry on, babbling like teenagers at a sleepover. Katagawa keeps that one look on his face, eyes half-lidded and the gentlest smile on his face, and Rhys isn’t too sure what it means. Regardless, they continue talking. Rhys watches his alcohol consumption, not wanting to accidentally say something he’ll regret.

 

There’s a certain moment when Rhys realizes something. In the moment, he said a stupid, cheesy joke, and Katagawa just threw his head back, letting out the loudest guffaw while Rhys simply watched.

 

It made Rhys realize how much he has missed this, missed talking to somebody for more than a few minutes, missed having a friend. Sure, Katagawa is no Vaughn, but Rhys finds that he appreciates the company very much.

 

After awhile, Rhys realizes they’ve been talking for hours. Eight PM has become one AM.

 

When he reveals this information, something in Katagawa shifts. He downs his fifth glass of wine quickly and straightens his tie.

 

“Well, Rhys, I best be off,” He says, voice slurring just a bit. “I have to get back to my life tomorrow,”

 

“Crap,” Rhys replies, running a hand through his hair, “I didn’t realize how long we’ve been talking, sorry,”

 

“It’s fine,” Katagawa replies, “Don’t even worry about it, I had fun,”

 

“Yeah,” Rhys answers, “It’s been awhile since I’ve just talked to somebody. Thanks, for that,”

 

Katagawa takes a small step back. “Of course, Rhys. I’ll be sure to keep in contact,”

 

That’s something Rhys could never do.

 

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” Rhys replies.

 

Katagawa is about to turn around, yet something catches his eye. “And,” He says, voice a little bit quieter. He takes a step forward, putting a hand on Rhys’s shoulder, drifting dangerously close to his neck. Rhys tenses up instantly, realizing how long it’s been since somebody’s actually engaged in physical contact with him. Handshakes are one thing, but this? Katagawa is playing with fire. “If you ever need anything,” He says, now brushing Rhys’s shoulder off, “Don’t hesitate to visit.” When he pulls his hand back, he raises a brow. “Sorry, you had a noticeable hair on your vest,”

 

Rhys blinks, and for a minute, he can’t talk.

 

“Uh, thanks?” He finally manages to croak out.

 

With that, Katagawa slips out of Rhys’s office.

 

Friends, Katagawa said, he wanted a friend. It’s been a long, long time since Rhys had that.

 

So, Rhys goes home with conflicted thoughts, mind racing, with one repeating thought.

 

He finds that he misses Vaughn.

 

Again, he’ll lay in bed, staring up at his contact list, unable to ever actually make the first call to see how Fiona and Sasha are doing.

 

But, he is Atlas, metaphorically and literally, he has a company to keep alive, even if he’s letting himself get caught in Katagawa’s game. Maybe they’re friends, maybe they’re not, as Katagawa said, with that dangerous smile on his face, “I guess you’ll have to find out,”

 

Three years later, and Rhys isn’t feeling too good about his chances.


	2. From Pandora to Promethea,

Vaughn watches as his bullet rips through the brains of the last bandit standing, all of them claiming something about Ellie before Vaughn put them all down. He pulls his goggles up, letting them rest on his forehead, and returns his sniper rifle to the holster on his back as he heads back into the workshop.

 

It’s been seven years since Rhys left for Promethea, and seven years after the Children of Helios ripped each other apart. 

 

Vaughn has gotten used to Pandora, its lifestyle, its wildlife, and whatever else. The feeling of loss by the departure of his friends, and then his gang, has passed, and Vaughn has gotten comfortable in Ellie’s workshop, like some roommate that doesn’t pay the rent. She’s good company, and definitely keeps the solitude from creeping in by her loud, bubbly drawl. 

 

That isn’t to say Vaughn only has Ellie for company. Having been a vital asset for the fight against Hector, Vaughn remains in good faith with the Crimson Raiders, and him letting Tina become the proud guardian of Buttstallion definitely made her regard him in a good light, even nicknaming him ‘Uncle’. Him and Brick destroyed a few bandit camps here and there, and he has had the honor of fist-bumping Lilith herself. He keeps in contact with Fiona and Sasha, of course. They moved to Eden-6 not too long ago, Fiona keeps up her vault-hunting ways, and Sasha has shook hands with the Jakobs family on more than a few occasions. The last time they spoke, Loaderbot and Gortys were with the sisters, too. Yvette joined up with the Raiders, despite having never shot a gun once in her life, but she’s happy, so Vaughn’s proud of her. 

 

Ever since Ellie picked up the Catch-a-Ride systems herself, she’s had a steady stream of work coming her way, and she always turned to Vaughn for help if she needed it. 

 

So, Vaughn can’t say he’s bored with life, or lonely. He’s content with where he is at the moment, just the short, trigger-happy employee of the best mechanic on Pandora.

 

Climbing down the ladder from his vantage point to the inside of Ellie’s workshop, watching as she closes the hood of a rather busted up car painted pink. 

 

“Well,” Ellie says, pulling her safety mask up, “If it ain’t my favorite chiseled little bandit-man,” 

 

“Ellie,” Vaughn says, stepping off the ladder and onto solid ground, “I adore you with all my heart, but you’re killing me with these nicknames,” 

 

Ellie lets out a funny laugh, a wide smile on her face. “Poor you, ‘cuz I ain’t ever gonna stop using them,” 

 

Vaughn gives up, letting out a long sigh. “When I finally take my revenge and assassinate you, Ellie, this will be my main reason,” 

 

Ellie continues giggling as she rests her wrench on the nearest table. “You’d never kill me, Vaughn, I’m the whole reason why you ain’t starving out in the middle of nowhere in a cardboard box,” 

 

Vaughn opens the mini-fridge on the cabinet, retrieving a drink as he chuckles softly. “Yeah, sure, you tell yourself that,” 

 

When he turns back around, Ellie has a certain look on her face, a look Vaughn knows well. “You’re gonna ask me for something, aren’t you?” He asks. 

 

She raises a brow as she tugs her gloves off. “Glad to know I’m so readable,” She replies, making her way over to Vaughn slowly. On her way, she grabs a tablet from her tool stand, tapping it to life. “Take a look at this,” 

 

She holds the tablet out to Vaughn, and Vaughn’s slow to take it in his hand. When he does, he reads what’s on it. 

 

It’s the tablet that shows off the current status of all the Catch-a-Ride systems in a certain area. His brow furrows as he notices each and every one of them is labeled as ‘Disabled’. 

 

“Somebodies been hijacking the Catch-a-Ride systems, I think,” Ellie explains, voice loud.

 

He grows even more agitated as he reads the location.

 

“No,” He replies, handing the tablet back to her. “Sorry,” 

 

“Come on, Vaughn,” She says, pleading, “You know there ain’t anybody I trust more.” 

 

He turns away from her and begins walking. “I’m not leaving just so I can babysit those machines, I belong here, Ellie,” 

 

Resting the tablet on the counter, Ellie’s quick to follow Vaughn. “Listen, I’ve got a few friends that owe me a favor, they can get you a ship and everything,” 

 

Vaughn turns around. “Ellie, you know I’d do a lot for you, you’re my friend, but I can’t do this,” 

 

“Why?” Ellie asks, crossing her arms.

 

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” 

 

Ellie puts her foot down. “Nuh-uh, Vaughn, you throw a real hissy-fit each time I even mention Promethea, and I’d just like a valid reason as to why,” 

 

“Ellie,” 

 

“Vaughn.” 

 

With her mean face on, Ellie certainly isn’t backing down, and with Vaughn’s back against the closed garage door, he feels smaller and smaller.

 

“Alright, alright,” He says, raising his hands, “Fine, you got me, I don’t really like hearing about Promethea, because,” His voice dies off.

 

Ellie leans a bit closer, waiting for him to continue.

 

Letting out a long groan, Vaughn rubs the back of his neck. “I’ve told you about my friend Rhys,” He begins, and she nods, “He, uh, he lives on Promethea, and I’m scared I’ll see him,” 

 

“Why?” Ellie asks, expression softening. 

 

“I don’t know,” He says, shrugging, “I just am. What are you supposed to say to your best friend who you haven’t seen in seven years? I just, I feel like we’ve both changed,” He looks down at his feet. “A lot. I’m not even sure he’d want to hang around me anymore, I mean, he’s a bigshot CEO, and I’m,” 

 

“Oh, honey,” Ellie sighs, offering a sympathetic expression. “You’ve told me a lot about this Rhys fellow, and I know you care a lot about him,” She puts a hand on Vaughn’s arm in an attempt to console him. “If I’m real honest, if he’s as great as you’ve told me, I don’t think you got anything to worry about, and I ain’t just saying that so you’ll say yes,” 

 

Vaughn nods. “Thanks, Ellie, I, uh, appreciate it,” 

 

She pulls back, letting her hand fall to her side. “I’d head to Promethea if I could, but, you know me, always got something that needs doing,” 

 

“Yeah,” He says, “I know,” 

 

Ellie turns around, one hand on her hip, the other scratching her chin.

 

“I’ve got some people I know over on Promethea, I’m sure they’ll-”

 

“I’ll go,” 

 

“Huh?” 

 

Ellie whips around, eyes wide. 

 

Vaughn offers her a smile. “I’ll check out what’s going on, alright? I’m sure it’s not too bad on Promethea, right?” 

 

Ellie raises her arms. “Alright, c’mere,” She says, taking quick steps forward. Vaughn, never one to back down from a hug, reciprocates, allowing himself to be lifted off his feet in a tight, loving hug. “I owe you big time, Vaughn,” 

 

“Get me a better gun,” Vaughn replies, voice muffled, “And I’ll never complain again,” 

 

Laughing, Ellie lowers Vaughn back onto his feet. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do. Like I said, I’ve got a few friends that can get you to Promethea,” 

 

“Actually,” Vaughn says, “I’ve got someone of my own,” 

 

“Ooh,” Ellie replies, “There a secret, spaceship driving lover I don’t know about?” 

 

Vaughn rolls his eyes as he walks across the workshop. “I’ve got a sort-of friend that travels a lot, I can give him a call,”

 

“A sort-of friend?” Ellie asks, “Well, whatever works for you. While you’re over there, try not to damage that rocking bod of yours too much, I think it’d break my heart,” 

 

Vaughn waves her off as he grabs the echo communicator off the table. “Seeya later, Ellie,” He says, lifting the garage door open. “Try not to miss me too much,”

 

She laughs, and he slides under the garage door, letting it fall back down once he’s on the other side. 

 

He’s quick to make a call, pacing around as he awaits a call. Sure, it’s a longshot, but Vaughn’s gotta try.

 

When the line picks up, Vaughn smiles. “Hey, August! Listen, I know we rarely even talk, but, uh, quick quesh, do you have a spaceship?” 

 

“Vaughn?” August asks. “Why the hell do you need a ship? Not saying I have one,” 

 

“I need a ride to Promethea,” He answers, and he can almost hear August thinking.

 

“Is that that planet filled with a bunch of rich douchebags?” 

 

Vaughn chuckles. “Yeah, that’s the one,” 

 

“Why’d you wanna go there? I thought you were all about the bandit life or some shit,” 

 

Rolling his eyes, Vaughn replies, “Listen, August, I just need a ride, alright?”

 

“Jeez,” August replies, surprised by Vaughn’s sudden tone shift, “Alright, alright, you’re lucky I’m even saying yes,” 

 

“Thank you, August,” Vaughn says, smile in his voice, “I’ll find you a souvenir when I’m in Promethea, if that makes you feel better,” 

 

“It doesn’t,” August replies. “I’ll meet you outside of Hollow Point, got it? You better hurry, too, because if you ain’t here in-”

 

“Okay, okay, August, I get it, Hollow Point, I’ll see you there,” 

 

So, Vaughn climbs onto his ride, a motorcycle Ellie repaired for him awhile back, and revs the machine to life. 

 

“You’re going to Promethea?” Sasha asks, voice loud in Vaughn’s ear as he passes by a pack of skags. “With August?”

 

“Nope, he’s just my ride. Once I’m there, I’ll be alone,” He explains, trying to talk over the engine. “I’m helping my friend Ellie out with some stuff,” 

 

“Sounds fun,” Sasha says, “But isn’t that place in the middle of a war right now?” 

 

Vaughn makes an audible shrugging noise. “I dunno, you tell me. I rarely hear anything about Promethea,” 

 

“Yeah,” Sasha continues, “You hear of the COV?” 

 

“Children of the Vault?” Vaughn asks.

 

“Yep, that’s them,” Sasha says.

 

“Ugh, yeah, I have. What about them?” 

 

“Well, I heard they’ve been spotted on Promethea, so, y’know, don’t get killed by creepy cultists,” 

 

“Thanks for the heads up,” Vaughn replies. “Have you, uh, heard anything from Rhys, like, at all?” 

 

Sasha laughs. “You already know the answer. He’s the bigshot CEO now, I guess. Hey! He’s on Promethea, right? If you see him, smack some sense into him, alright?” 

 

“Yeah, sure,” Vaughns answers, “I’ll tell him it’s from Sasha, with love,” 

 

“Oh, hey, LB wants to say hi,” Sasha suddenly exclaims, and Vaughn grins.

 

“Well, put him on!” He replies.

 

There’s an audible shuffling sound, and Sasha’s quieting voice as she hands the communicator over.

 

“Hi.” Is all Vaughn hears, mechanical and loud.

 

“Hey, LB! Good to see you! How’s Gortys?”

 

“Gortys and Fiona are vault-hunting,” Loader Bot says, “I do not care about vault hunting, but I care about Gortys and Fiona. I heard talk of father. You may smack him.” 

 

“Uh, great, LB? Gonna be honest, I don’t really want to smack Rhys, or even, like, see him, at all,” 

 

“That is fine,” Loader Bot replies, “Do what you wish,”

 

“Uh, can you put Sasha back on, LB?” Vaughn asks.

 

“Okay. Bye.” 

 

Soon, Sasha’s voice fills Vaughn’s ears again. “Usually he’s a total chatterbox, he must be feeling down since Gortys is away,” 

 

“Poor guy,” Vaughn replies, “I’m getting close to Hollow Point, so I’m gonna head off call. You stay safe, alright?” 

 

“You too, Vaughn. It was nice hearing from you, again. Be sure to spit in the face of a few corporate douchebags for me,” 

 

“You know I will. Bye, Sasha,” 

 

The call ends, and Vaughn’s left to his own devices. 

 

For some reason, he’s still thinking about Rhys, even after the call is over, and he’s not too sure why. His best friend of, God, he can’t even remember how long it’s been, and Rhys can’t bother calling once in awhile? Whatever Rhys’s reasoning is, it won’t be enough, too many times Vaughn’d stay up all night fearing the worst, fearing Rhys had died, fearing he’d never hear from him ever again. Sure, those nights have faded with time, but the memory stands. 

 

So, he hopes he doesn’t see Rhys at all, because he knows if he does, he’ll never come back to Pandora again. 

 

When Vaughn finally reaches the entrance to Hollow Point, he sees August jabbing a knife in the direction of a few bandits, warding them off from his ride. 

 

“Back off, you little freaks, this is my ship,” He snarls, watching the bandits scamper off fearfully. 

  
  


Vaughn hops off his bike, knowing he could just digistruct it later, and approaches August, smiling. “Good to see you, August,” He says, watching the man pocket his knife. 

 

August has become a bit of a mailman of sorts, transporting goods between worlds. It’s honest work, much different from Vallory’s life as a crime lord, yet the man still keeps his rather sharp edges. 

 

“About time you showed up,” August says, “Come on, we’re wasting daylight,” 

 

“You’re the boss,” Vaughn replies, quick to join the man’s side.

 

So, that’s how Vaughn ends up on Promethea, 

 

The ride isn’t too special, Vaughn’s just another piece of cargo, Ellie sends him the location of several of the systems in Promethea, and wishes him luck. 

 

Well, this is happening. 

 


	3. A Corporate Rebranding,

Vaughn pulls his goggles over his eyes and begins walking, surrounded by a world of bright lights and egos. In all honesty, it really does remind him of his Hyperion days, the advanced technology, the strange smell in the air, and the same sinking feeling that he’s going to get assassinated, or backstabbed any second now. He definitely does stand out like a sore thumb, wrapped in his usual bandit-like garb, that opened vest revealing his abdomen. He follows his map, noticing the distinct lack of human life, only the screens and advertisements, he finds himself staring far too long at the Atlas advertisements, showing off the latest gun release, whatever it is. It’s quiet, eerily so, so Vaughn keeps his guard up. He looks up at the sky, at the complete darkness staring down at him, and keeps walking. The world is devoid of natural life, it’s just one big everlasting city, like Opportunity in Pandora, Vaughn is a stranger in a weird world.

 

He runs a bit faster as one of the Catch-a-Ride systems comes into view.

 

Still, everything is quiet.

 

As he approaches closer, he makes a call.

 

“Ellie,” Vaughn says, “I found one of the systems,”

 

“Great,” Ellie replies, yet whatever she says next is a garbled, static-y mess.

 

“Ellie? You’re breaking up,” Vaughn alerts, yet all he hears is static.

 

The call ends, and again, Vaughn’s surrounded by silence.

 

“Alright, great,” He says, grumbling as he surveys the machine, “The comms are down, too, isn’t that just,” He groans, “Peachy,”

 

He puts a hand on the machine, noticing that it’s still up and running perfectly, like nothing is wrong with it.

 

“Huh,” He sighs, intrigued.

 

So, he surveys the machine again, this time circling it.

 

There, on the back, is a small device that catches Vaughn’s eye.

 

“Oh, hello,” He says, crouching down to investigate.

 

He reaches out, attempting to grab the device, yet just as his fingertips touch the metal, a shock is sent directly through him.

 

“Ah,” He yelps, retracting his hand and hissing, “Okay, that sucks,”

 

So, he uses his ultimate problem-solver, a gun. Retrieving his pistol from its holster on his hip, he shoots the device, watching it smoke, crumbling to the ground. Satisfied, he slowly reaches out to the device, taking it in his hand. There’s no label, or anything, so he’s not sure what the hell is this thing’s source, but he pockets it regardless.

 

As he pushes himself back up onto his feet, he’s certain he hears something.

 

A glass window shatters, and Vaughn watches a guard fall from it, hitting the ground with a sickening crunch. He falls back, letting out a curse at the sudden surprise, but he finds himself even more surprised as the killer jumps down too, sending their sword into the heard of the guard.

 

Vaughn’s about to say something, but the assassin raises their hand, silencing the man.

 

“Cannot talk right now, I am killing the bad guys, I am in the zone,”

 

The projection of a smiling face doesn’t comfort Vaughn at all, but he’s glad to see a familiar face.

 

“Uh,” Vaughn says, “Hi, Zer0,”

 

“In the zone,” Zer0 repeats, voice a bit harsher.

 

“Right, sorry, you uh, keep killing,”

 

And then a second window breaks, and a rather well-dressed man is tossed out of it, completely ruining the suit by splattering it in the man’s blood. This time, a girl drops down to land on the man’s back, gun pointed right at Vaughn.

 

“Oh,” She says, “Hey, Zer0, are you killing this guy, or what?”

 

Vaughn gives her a bewildered look. “Hey, wait,”

 

“This is Lorelei,” Zer0 says, cutting Vaughn off, “She is a complete badass,” Zer0 turns to Lorelei, the classic zero projected on their face, “Do not kill this man,”

 

“You know this guy?” She asks, lowering her gun and offering a hand to Vaughn, who’s still on the ground after that surprise. “Sorry about that, then. Let’s get you on your feet,”

 

Vaughn’s quick to take her hand, and once he’s back on his feet, he gives the two a look. “My name’s Vaughn, Zer0 helped my friends and I take down a vault monster awhile back,”

 

Lorelei gives Zer0 a wide-eyed look. “This doesn’t look like a vault hunter to me,”

 

“I will be honest, Vaughn is not a vault hunter, I guess he’s still cool,”

 

“Aw,” Vaughn says, tonedry, “Thanks, Zer0,”

 

Lorelei flips her unkempt hair, giving Vaughn a smile. “Regardless, We’ve got Maliwan to dispose of,” She says, tilting her head. “You wanna kill some bloody bad guys?”

 

Vaughn readjusts his goggles and shrugs. “I guess I still owe Zer0 for saving my tail back at the Backburner, so,” He reaches behind, wrapping a hand around the handle of his sniper rifle, readying it up as he shrugs. “Lead the way,”

 

On cue, Vaughn can hear the rhythm of approaching footsteps, what sounds like a small army approaching through the brightly lit street. Lorelei cracks her neck, giving the two a look. “Let’s go say hi to our new friends, shall we?”

 

Vaughn doesn’t even know Lorelei, and he isn’t too sure who they’re even working for, or if they even do work for somebody, all he knows is that he has a sniper rifle, and there are definitely incoming hostiles, so as he watches Zer0 disappear in the blink of an eye, and Lorelei running headfirst into the fight, Vaughn finds that he doesn’t really mind being wrapped up in whatever fight this is, it’s better than a tracking mission, he has to admit. He aims his sniper rifle forward, staring down the sights, and holds his breath.

 

The second something enters his sightlines, and Vaughn’s pulling the trigger, sending a bullet through the head of an armored guard, watching them fall to the ground with a thud. He watches Lorelei tear through one of them with a blast from her rifle, and notices the distinct lack of Zer0 in the fight.

 

Regardless, he charges into the fight, kicking down the first guard that crosses his path, watching them tumble to the ground before aiming his rifle at their face, blasting it off without a second thought.

 

“So,” Vaughn says, running out of ammo for his sniper rifle and quickly switching to his pistol, “Maliwan’s filled with jerks?” He asks, turning to Lorelei and shooting a man about to tackle her.

 

Lorelei finishes off said man with a bullet to the chest, giving Vaughn a cheeky smile. “Yeah, they make cool guns, but they’re a bunch of pricks,”

 

“That seems to be the case with most corporations,” Vaughn replies, picking up one of the guns discarded by one of the dead guards, an SMG, and finds that he appreciates the incendiary bullets that takes down a guard rather quickly.

 

“What’re you doing on Promethea, anyways?” Lorelei asks.

 

“I’m,” Boom, headshot, “An employee, of sorts, just trying to figure out what’s wrong with the Catch-a-Ride systems,”

 

“I haven’t noticed anything wrong,”

 

“They’re being hijacked,” Vaughn says, watching the last man standing fall to the ground. “I don’t know why, or how,”

 

“Hijacked?” Lorelei asks, kicking one of the guards in the leg, “Why’d you think somebody would do that?”

 

Vaughn shrugs. “No idea, I guess somebody wants to steal our business, maybe? Hijack our systems, and then try to start billing people for cars,”

 

“Sounds like something Maliwan would do,” Lorelei says, “Katagawa especially, he’s always one to take things that aren’t his,”

 

“Uh, who?” Vaughn asks, and Lorelei snorts.

 

“I wish I was you. Katagawa’s the head of mergers and acquisitions over at Maliwan, and he’s a total douchebag,”

 

“Mergers and acquisitions?” Vaughn says, brow furrowing, “Yeah, they’re all dicks,” 

 

“I can call my boss, see if he’ll be willing to help you out,” Lorelei replies, hand on her hip. “He’s always one for sending a big middle finger to Maliwan,”

 

Vaughn opens his mouth, but a stomp interrupts him.

 

“Badass incoming,” Lorelei warns, readying her gun,

 

Vaughn’s eyes widen as the large, dangerous looking assailant approaches, shotgun in their hand.

 

Well, the badass would’ve been even more badass if they didn’t die seconds after appearing, but the sword sticking out of their chest stops their murdering spree before it can even start.

 

They fall to the ground face-first, and Zer0 flickers to life on their back, pulling their sword from the guard’s back.

 

“Nice of you to finally join the fight, Zer0!” Lorelei announces, “Me and the new guy did all the work,”

 

“Don’t be a hater, the badass has been downed, my killing spree ends.”

 

“Whatever you say,” Lorelei replies, waving them off. “Just call Rhys and let’s head back,”

 

That’s when Vaughn freezes, eyes wide. “Rhys?”

 

“Wait, you know Rhys?” Lorelei asks, taking a step forward, laughing. “Small world, huh?”

 

“I, uh, yeah. I know, uh, knew him. You’re Atlas?”

 

“Mmhm,” Lorelei says, holstering her gun. “Me and Zer0 are Rhys’s finest agents, but Zer0’s the one he’s got a crush on, pretty sure, how do you know the boss?”

 

“We were,” Vaughn’s gaze drifts downwards as he chuckles in a somber kind of way, “Best friends.”

 

“You got any embarrassing stories?” She suddenly asks, “I’m running out of teasing material,”

 

“Uh, sorry to disappoint, but,” Vaughn takes a step back, “I don’t really want to get wrapped up in your weird corporate battle, so,” Voice drifting off, Vaughn’s ready to slip away.

 

Up on Zer0s face is a blatant ‘WTF?’

 

Stepping forward, they sling their sword aside, not waiting for it to blink away.

 

“I will not forget, watching you sob about Rhys, while completely drunk,” Zer0 says, staring at Vaughn’s suddenly red face, suddenly reminded of the countless nights at the Backburner.

 

The goggles hide his wide eyes. For a moment, he’s speechless, but he calms himself. His brow furrows, and his voice lowers as he says, “That was a long time ago, Zer0,”

 

There’s anger in his voice, but Zer0 pushes further, watching Vaughn turn away and begin to walk.

 

With a sad face on their vacant mask, they tilt their head. “Rhys will help you,” They say, and Vaughn stops. When he looks back at Zer0, there’s a smile. “If you ask,”

 

Lorelei doesn’t mention the inconsistency in Zer0’s speech.

 

She crosses her arms. “You should see his mustache,”

 

Vaughn sighs and gives in, turning back around with his eyes shut. He knows that if he sees Rhys, things won't be the same. They won’t be bros that stay up late at night playing games. Rhys is a CEO, and Vaughn is a bandit, and Vaughn knows there will never be a friendship again, due to the stark contrast in character.

 

But, he knows that if he sees Rhys again, he will never leave again.  

 

So, he has to convince himself that there will never be a friendship again, giving himself that chance of leaving Promethea again, and leaving Rhys. He puts up the bandit lord persona around him and crosses his arms.

 

“Fine. I’ll speak to Rhys,” He says, glaring at nothing. “I’ll talk to him about the Catch-a-Ride systems, then I’ll be out of your hair,”

 

“Die mad about it,” Is all Zer0 says in response, blinking out of existence.

 

“Zer0s heading back to base, it seems. Let me call Rhys, alright?”

 

“My comm was down,” Vaughn tells her, and she raises a brow.

 

“Maybe ‘cuz you’re trying to reach somebody on Pandora. There’s a reason why information rarely escapes Promethea,”

 

So, Vaughn shrinks as Lorelei makes the call, smaller and smaller he feels, bracing himself for the voice he hasn’t heard in seven years.

 

“Make it quick, Lorelei, I’m trying to win a war, here,” Rhys pipes up, voice only slightly distorted over the call, and Vaughn’s heart grows a bit tighter.

 

Rhys still sounds like Rhys.

 

“Yeah, well, you’re not gonna believe who I came across,” She sings, pacing across the body filled street.

 

“Unless you found me an army, Lorelei, I don’t care,” Rhys replies, and Vaughn’s sure he hears the sound of a dart hitting a board.

 

“I found a, uh,” Her mouth opens, then closes, and then she smiles, “A bandit guy, I’ve captured him, and I think you’d like to question him,”

 

“Why would I want to question a random bandit?”

 

“He’s not random, Rhys, he’s dangerous, and real good, I just saw him down a badass by himself,”

 

“Sooo,” Rhys sighs, “You want me to hire him, then?”

 

“Something like that. I’ll bring him back to base. Zer0’s heading back, too, I think. They just sort of disappeared,”

 

“Thank you, Lorelei,” Rhys says, voice a little annoyed and tense, “See you soon,”

 

When the call ends, Lorelei fixes her hair and turns to Vaughn. “Sorry about lying, I just want him to be surprised when we get there. It’s been awhile since I’ve actually seen him happy to see someone,” With that, she begins walking, urging Vaughn to follow.

 

“I don’t think he’ll be happy to see me, Lorelei,” Vaughn replies, keeping with Lorelei’s pace with wide steps.

 

“Sure he will,” She answers, “You said you were friends, right? I was certain he didn’t know the definition of friend,”

 

“I mean, we haven’t really spoken in seven years,”

 

“Really then?” Lorelei asks, surprised, “What drove you apart?”

 

Vaughn’s quiet, real quiet, for awhile.

 

“What do you think?” He finally replies, “He became CEO of Atlas and I,” Was left behind, Vaughn, forever the nerdy friend, destined to be forgotten in favor of glamour. “Stayed on Pandora, we just drifted apart,”

 

“Y’know, I really do feel like Rhys’ll be happy to see you. The man’s a douche, don’t get me wrong, but he’s definitely sentimental.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind, Lorelei,” Vaughn replies, not keeping that in mind.

 

When Vaughn steps into Atlas HQ, it feels like the world stops. This is Rhys’s phoenix, Rhys’s world, Rhys’s legacy.

 

People greet Lorelei and give Vaughn strange looks as they pass by.

 

In this moment, walking on Rhys’s legacy, Vaughn thinks of the Children of Helios.

 

It still hurts to think about, all that he failed to do, all that he tried to be, but he thinks about it. They worshipped Rhys, and Vaughn kept them alive, and then they all died because Vaughn couldn’t save them.

 

That is Vaughn’s legacy.

 

In the elevator, his breathing hitches.

 

When Lorelei takes notice, she nudges him. “Hey, keep cool, alright?”

 

He doesn’t really listen, but he somewhat appreciates the concern.

 

When the elevator doors open, Lorelei nods towards the secretary.

 

“Good to see you, Abby,” She says, “Don’t worry about this guy, he’s with me,”

 

“Of course,” She replies, her voice high-pitched and kind. “Rhys is in his office, you can just head on in,”

 

“Alright, Vaughn, let’s go meet our boss,”

 

Vaughn’s smaller and smaller in the shadow cast by Rhys. Feelings that he was sure died long ago are suddenly bubbling back inside him, the confidence he worked so hard to build up is now being broken down brick by brick.

 

However, he doesn’t hesitate to follow Lorelei through the corridor, past Abigail’s desk, and coming face to face to the large doors to Rhys’s office.

 

It’s been seven years since Vaughn has even seen Rhys.

 

He puts a gloved hand on the door, taking a deep breath in.

 

And pushes.

 

Moments like this are usually kept to storybooks, the lonesome knight opening the castle gates to his king, the bandit and the CEO. Best friends reuniting after a century apart.

 

The doors swing open, and Vaughn steps inside the office, Lorelei close behind.

 

“I told you,” Rhys says, mug of coffee in hand, obviously in the middle of a call, “Stop calling me to tell me my shoes are tacky, I don’t even know who you are, and my shoes are great,” He says, still the same old Rhys, despite the new addition of facial hair, which Vaughn thinks suits him. “Okay, goodbye, actual people whose opinions I actually value are here,”

 

Rhys ends the call and he turns around. “Lorelei, I wanted to-”

 

He drops the mug, and it shatters.

 

Lorelei folds her arms across her chest, smiling.

 

Rhys is speechless, and so is Vaughn.

 

Seven years of telling himself Vaughn was better off, seven years of telling himself he was too busy, seven years of isolation, seven years of stress, and loneliness, all of it hits Rhys like a train, because in this moment, Vaughn is staring up at him with a stranger’s glance, and Rhys is certain it’s the most horrible thing he’s ever seen.

 

“You’re still shirtless, after seven years,” Rhys finally croaks out.

 

“I,” Vaughn replies, “Uh, you have a mustache,”

 

Lorelei gives them both a strange look before backing away. “I’m gonna go find Zer0, alright? You two, uh, catch up,”

 

When she leaves, Rhys and Vaughn are still staring at each other, forever familiar strangers.

 


	4. Awkwardness, And the Action That Follows,

When Vaughn finally pulls his head from the clouds, and Rhys coughs awkwardly into his fist, Vaughn retrieves the hijacking device from his bag and holds it out to Rhys. He realizes that he’s actually still a long way from Rhys, standing right by the now shut doors, so he takes a few steps forward, still holding the device out. 

 

“This was on the Catch-a-Ride system, there’s no sort of branding on it or anything. I just want to know where it came from, and then I’ll be out of your hair,” 

 

Rhys runs a mechanical hand through his hair, eyes going from Vaughn’s face to the device back to Vaughn. His brow furrows as he keeps an eye on the device, reaching out taking it from Vaughn.

 

In that moment, for the briefest moment, their fingers graze.

 

“Yeah, that’s Promethea for you,” Rhys jokes, looking down at the device, “Always trying to steal each other’s business. It’s really annoying, almost makes me miss Pandora.” 

 

When Rhys laughs, Vaughn doesn’t laugh.

 

“Uh, I’ll just, uh, scan this, yeah,” 

 

Rhys’s blue eye flashes to life, and Vaughn watches him stare intently at it for a second, but it feels like a century. 

 

In his hud, Rhys learns the obvious, all signs point to Maliwan as the culprit. 

 

“Maliwan’s in the process of a douchebag overload,” Rhys explains, holding the device back out to Vaughn, “They’re the ones trying to steal your business,” 

 

“To be honest,” Vaughn replies, retrieving the device, “It’s not my business. I’m just helping a friend.”

 

“Oh,” Rhys replies, awkwardly. “Well, uh, it’s good to see you,” 

 

Vaughn’s expression softens. “I, uh, yeah. Me too, to you,” He says, surely not making any sense at all, “I mean, it’s good to see you, too,” 

 

“Are you, uh, staying? In Promethea?” Rhys asks, shoving a hand into his pocket. 

 

“No,” Vaughn replies. 

 

“Oh,” 

 

More awkward silence fills the air between them. 

 

“So, uh, what have you been up to? Over on Pandora? Are you still leading those creepy cultist weirdos?” 

 

Vaughn swallows nothing, adam’s apple bobbing as his brow twitches. 

 

“Yeah, I am,” Vaughn finally responds, “Things are great,” 

 

He doesn’t want pity. 

 

“That's, uh, good! Yeah, good. Glad you’re doing good, on Pandora,”

 

“I have to take care of the Catch-a-Ride systems, Rhys,” Vaughn says, nearly cutting Rhys off. His eyes squint a bit, and he takes a step back. “I can’t stay here,” 

 

Rejected, Rhys nods, leaning back against his desk. “Yeah, of course, I mean, yeah, you have, uh, things to do, and I have things to do, y’know, super busy,”

 

“Yeah,” Vaughn replies, taking another step back.

 

Rhys has an empty void in his chest as he continues looking at Vaughn. He notices the little strands of grey in Vaughn’s bushy beard, the intent stare on Vaughn’s face so familiar to Rhys, that same stare being the one he’d have when he’d get really interested in something, like a game, or his work. 

 

Somebody calls Rhys.

 

“Oh, dammit,” Rhys says, “Not again,”

 

Vaughn watches the annoyed expression on Rhys’s face as Rhys raises his palm to the sky, projecting the call. 

 

“Katagawa, I told you, stop calling me,” He says, glaring. 

 

So, that’s Katagawa. Vaughn continues staring.

 

“I know,” Katagawa replies, chin resting on his hand. “But I just figured you were feeling a little bit feisty the last call, I was sure if I gave it some time, you’d calm down and be up for another call,” 

 

“No.” Rhys answers, stern and loud. “I’m talking to somebody right now, and I don’t need you barging in,” 

 

“Oh, really?” Katagawa says, voice lowering, “Let me see this person,” 

 

“No,” Rhys repeats.

 

“Should I be jealous?” Katagawa continues.

 

“Piss off, Katagawa,” 

 

When Vaughn notices Rhys tense up, that’s when he speaks.

 

“Hey, I don’t mean to interrupt, but, are you messing with the Catch-a-Ride systems?” 

 

From the other side of the projection, Vaughn can notice Katagawa’s brow raise. 

 

“No idea what you’re talking about,” Katagawa replies, “I don’t like the assumption that I’m behind almost every horrible thing in your life, Rhys,” 

 

“That’s because you are!” Rhys suddenly yelps, his human hand raising up in anger. “Everything that has gone wrong, has gone wrong because of you!” 

 

“Is your friend a new agent of yours?” Katagawa asks, choosing not to reply to Rhys’s outburst.

 

“No!” Rhys says, “He just wants to know why you’re being an asshole and messing with the systems!” 

 

Vaughn notices how easily Katagawa can get under Rhys’s skin.

 

“I told you, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Katagawa says. 

 

“Okay, then why are the devices coming from Maliwan?” Rhys replies, “I scanned one of them, don’t play dumb,” 

 

“You’re getting really worked up, Strongfork,” Katagawa muses, that cool headed, suave tone in his voice, the kind of tone that drives Rhys crazy. “More than usual,” 

 

“God! I hate you!” Rhys shouts, “Why are you like this?” 

 

“Tell your friend, the Catch-a-Ride systems are going through a re branding process, is all.”

 

Rhys and Vaughn exchange a glance.

 

“Then you do know what I’m talking about!” Rhys replies, exasperated. 

 

“I didn’t say that,”

 

“Why are you making this so difficult,” Rhys says, running a hand through his hair. “Just answer like a normal person!”

 

“Because I love seeing you get worked up over nothing, Rhysie,” 

 

Rhys is sent back to a crashing space station, and the gloating force staring above him.

 

Wide eyes turn into daggers as Rhys stares at Katagawa.

 

“Besides, I like making things difficult for you. I’m not your magical question answerer. You want answers, you find them yourself,”

 

Vaughn notices Rhys’s free hand clench tightly.

 

So, he intervenes.

 

“I have no idea what you’re trying to achieve here,” Vaughn says, hoping his voice is loud enough to reach Katagawa’s ears, “But this has nothing to do with Rhys, so leave him out of it.” 

 

“Sending your buddies to talk on your behalf, huh, Rhys?” Katagawa replies, “That’s just sad,”

 

“Fuck you,” Rhys snarls, and Katagawa laughs.

 

Rhys clenches his fist, and the call ends.

 

“He’s more of a douchebag than Vasquez,” Vaughn finally says, while Rhys regains composure. 

 

“And he’s definitely responsible for whatever’s going on with the Catch-a-Ride systems. I can look into it, alright?” 

 

“Okay,” Vaughn replies. “Are you alright?”

 

He knows he shouldn’t ask, but when he sees Rhys smile so faintly, he cracks. 

 

“Yeah, it takes more than that to keep me down. He does that a lot.”

 

There’s a beep, and Rhys rolls his eyes.

 

“Alright, uh, Vaughn, bring me more of those devices, maybe ones that don’t have a bullet hole in them. I can reverse-engineer them, make something that’ll keep this from happening again, alright?” 

 

“Rhys, the last time I tried touching one of them, I got shocked,” 

 

“Dammit,” Rhys whines, “Stupid Maliwan and their security measures. 

 

So, Rhys turns around, walking around his desk and nudging his office chair a bit.

 

“Zer0, I know you’ve been here the entire time, so you go with him,” 

 

When Zer0 flickers into existence, they’re in Rhys’s chair, and Vaughn yelps. 

 

Well, that means Zer0 saw all those awkward, horrible moments.

 

“That guy is a douche,” Zer0 says, referring to Katagawa, “Maliwan makes cool stuff though, all the damage types,” 

 

Rhys is still rummaging through his desk drawers. 

 

Zer0 flickers, then reappears next to Vaughn.

 

“Here,” Rhys finally says, retrieving a device from the drawer, “Catch,”

 

Rhys uses his mechanical hand to toss the device across the office, and Vaughn catches it with ease.

 

“That’s an EMP, it should disable the devices, so you can take it off with ease,” 

 

Vaughn gives him a strange look. “Why do you have an EMP in your desk?” 

 

Rhys hesitates, mouth opening and closing. 

 

“You never know when you’ll need it,” He settles on that as his answer as he falls back into his chair.

 

“I cannot wait to, mess with Katagawa’s things, and piss that guy off,” Zer0 says, offering Vaughn an emoticon smile. 

 

Pocketing the EMP, Vaughn gestures to the door. “Alright, let’s go.” 

 

So, while Zer0 and Vaughn depart, Rhys spins around in his chair as he answers the call that’s been on hold forever.

 

“What is it, Tim?” He asks, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

 

“Hey, uh, kiddo,” The copy says, trying his absolute hardest to impersonate Jack.

 

“Yeah, okay, you’re, you’re doing the thing where you pretend to be Jack, cool, why’d you call me?” 

 

The bravado fades, and Timothy's nasally tone returns.

 

“The director’s telling me I don’t sound confident enough, and I have no idea what he means,”

 

“Well, start being more confident, for starters,” Rhys says, “I’m paying you to act, not to be anxious on set,” 

 

“Wow, gee, thanks,” Timothy deadpans, “Just tell me if I sound enough like an egotistical asshole. Like you!” 

 

“Timothy, Katagawa is trying to force me to merge with Maliwan, he’s sending troops after my troops, there are creepy weird cultist people at my doorstep, and you’re asking me to be your acting coach,”

 

“Uh, yeah?” 

 

Rhys pauses, then shrugs. “Yeah, fine, whatever. Read your lines back to me, and I’ll let you know if you sound enough like a douchebag,” 

  
  


Zer0 pries their sword from the heart of an assault trooper, their face turned towards Vaughn, who is currently crouched behind the Catch-a-Ride system. 

 

Activating the EMP sends the hijacking device sparking before detaching itself from the system, crumbling to the ground, possibly damaged, but it’s better than shooting it off. 

 

Pocketing the device, and the EMP generator, Vaughn gets back up on his feet. 

 

“That’s three Catch-a-Ride systems restored,” Vaughn alerts Zer0, “Ellie’s probably happy I’m finally doing my job,” 

 

Cracking their knuckles, Zer0 approaches the Catch-a-Ride.

 

“Absolutely free, as all Catch-a-Rides should be, let’s run things over,” 

 

“Actually,” Vaughn says, reloading his rifle, “Before we run anything over, can you tell me about Promethea? Aside from the Maliwan patrols, this place is really empty,” 

 

Zer0 stares blankly at Vaughn.

 

“Citizens afraid, they get caught in the crossfire, found in the outskirts,” 

 

“The Meridian outskirts?” 

 

Nodding, Zer0 continues.

 

“Atlas protects, Maliwan kills,” 

 

“Damn,” Vaughn replies, “I heard Maliwan’s working with the COV, right?” 

 

‘>_<’  Zer0 emotes.

 

“Well, that sucks,” Vaughn replies, “Come on, let’s get a car so this can go faster,” 

 

‘>:-]’ Zer0 answers, leaning closer to the Catch-a-Ride system.

 

So, with a car digistructed into reality, Zer0 settles into the driver’s seat, while Vaughn climbs into the passenger seat.

 

Sticking to the road, Maliwan branded roadblocks are scattered here and there, but aren’t completely in the way, so averting them’s easy. Through the advertisements and television screens, under bridges and past the cultists fighting over a grenade, Zer0 taps the side of their face, where an ear would be.

 

“Speak,” Zer0 says, taking a left turn.

 

“Hey, mate,” Lorelei replies, “You’re still with that Vaughn fellow, right?” 

 

Zer0 elbows Vaughn, and Vaughn yelps, having zoned out for a moment or two.

 

“Yeah, crap, hey!” Vaughn says, greeting her over echo. “What’s up?” 

 

There’s a sound of a gunshot, and an exploding head. 

 

“Oh. y’know, saving the day,” Lorelei says, smile in her voice, “Just wanted to know how it went with Rhys,” 

 

“Ha ha ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha ha,” 

 

Vaughn glares at Zer0, and the ‘LOL’ emote on their face.

 

“It was so awkward, watching them fumble around, Rhys stared at his abs,”

 

“Really, now? I mean, they are nice,” 

 

Vaughn’s mouth is agape as he just stares at Zer0.

 

“Hey, hello, hi, I’m right here, and I can hear you,” He informs the two, and Zer0 doesn’t react.

 

“Lighten up a bit, Vaughn,” Lorelei says, “Just be glad you’re not down here. The Atlas troops and I are holding off cultists in the Outskirts, and bloody hell, they just keep coming,” 

 

“Do you need help?” Vaughn asks, worry clear in his voice. 

 

“I’ve got it under control, Vaughn, you’re talking to one of Rhys’s best operatives, it’s gonna take more than a truckload of cultists to take me down, you focus on whatever you’re doing, alright?” 

 

“Alright, then. Good luck, Lorelei,” Vaughn replies, arm hanging out of the side of the car. 

 

When Zer0 ends the call, they turn their head to Vaughn. 

 

“I will be honest, I don’t want to babysit, does not challenge me,” Zer0 says.

 

“That’s fine,” Vaughn replies, “Regardless of my hurt feelings,” 

 

Suddenly, static blares in both their ears.

 

Zer0 slams the brakes, and Vaughn grips the carseat with a vice-like grip. 

 

“Oof,” A voice rings in both of their ears, “That was easy,”

 

Zer0 motions for Vaughn to get out of the car, so, he does, and Zer0 follows after.

 

“Katagawa,” They say, and Vaughn looks at them, a confused look on his face.

 

“How did he find our-”

 

“That’s beside the point,” Katagawa interrupts, “Our initial meeting wasn’t exactly the best, so I thought I’d introduce myself properly to you.” 

 

“He is so creepy,” Zer0 says, then turns to Vaughn, sword in hand. “We are being stalked by him, prepare to engage,” 

 

“Whatever you have to say, Katagawa, I’m gonna be honest, I don’t really care.”

 

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Vaughn,” Katagawa hums, and Vaughn’s throat goes dry. 

 

“What?” 

 

“You’re his best friend,” Katagawa mumbles, “There’s a lot he’d do for you, so that makes me think,” 

 

Vaughn steps back, closer to Zer0.

 

“I’m getting ahead of myself,” Katagawa continues, faintly laughing, “Sorry, I get excited easily. We’ll talk more soon, kisses!” 

 

After a second of silence, and Vaughn and Zer0 exchanging looks, Katagawa speaks up again.

 

“Oh, I totally forgot, me and my forgetfulness, ah, I’m sending a surprise assault to your location, so have fun! Though, I guess it’s not much of a surprise anymore. I’ll see you soon,”

 

When Vaughn and Zer0 return to HQ, Zer0’s quick to slip into the shadows, while Vaughn’s left alone wandering through the corridor to Rhys’s office. The secretary’s gone, and Vaughn assumes she’s gone for the night. 

 

“Hey, Rhys,” Vaughn says as he shoves the office doors open. His voice dies off as he’s met with darkness, the only source of light being a lamp on Rhys’s desk. 

 

Vaughn hesitates at the sight of Rhys, but he takes a few steps further into the room. Rhys has one hand holding his head, the other around a bottle of wine, his tie undone, hair unkempt. 

 

Rhys raises his head, just a bit, and looks at Vaughn, eye glowing faintly in the darkness of his office. He leans back, just a bit, and simply stares at Vaughn, as if he’s unsure Vaughn’s really there, or it’s just a dream.

 

Maybe he got a little drunk, maybe he got a lot drunk. He’s sad, he’s lonely, and he’s a little bit pathetic, sitting in the middle of an office too big for him. Rhys continues staring, and Vaughn stares back. It’s been too long since Vaughn has seen Rhys like this, drowning himself in a bottle so he doesn’t have to think about life. Rhys is an open person, that’s no secret, but when he’s drunk, it can go two ways.

 

One is the babbling moron with that handsome smile on his face, and the other is this.

 

Rhys motions for Vaughn to come deeper into his office, gesturing to a chair off to the side for Vaughn to grab.

 

“You,” Rhys hums, voice quiet. His eyes follow Vaughn as he pulls up a chair. “Hi,”

 

“I got some of those Maliwan devices you wanted.” Vaughn says, quite matter-of-factly.

 

“Cool, cool,” Rhys mumbles. 

 

“Are you alright?” Vaughn asks. 

 

“I don’t know,” Rhys replies, “I don’t care right now, what about you?” 

 

“Katagawa called Zer0 and I,” 

 

Rhys lets out a strange sound, a sigh and a groan as he covers his eyes. “Of course he did,”

 

“He said that he’s heard a lot about me,” Vaughn informs Rhys, and something changes. 

 

Moving his hand from his eyes, and Vaughn can see the conflicted, somber look for himself. Rhys sighs, hand tightening around the neck of the bottle, and throws his head back, taking another long, long gulp. When he drops the bottle back down, it hits the desk with a thud, and Rhys begins to stare off into nothing.

 

“Yeah,” He mumbles, voice like gravel as he gently sways back and forth in the chair.

 

“It was honestly really creepy.” 

 

“I told him everything,” Rhys admits, head lowering onto the desk, forehead against his arm. 

 

“What?” Vaughn asks, taken aback, eyes wide, then narrow. “Not cool,” 

 

“We were friends,” Rhys blurts out, speech slurred, “I thought we were friends. He got me drunk one time, uh, more than once, and he’d just,” Shutting his eyes, he sighs. “Listen to me talk,” 

 

“So you told him your entire life story,” Vaughn says, leaning back in his seat. 

 

“He said he liked hearing me talk,” Rhys murmurs, “I liked talking about you,” 

 

“Oh,” Is all Vaughn says. 

 

Rhys’s mind is fog, and his gaze is hazy-eyed, but when he looks at Vaughn, everything is crystal clear. He misses his best friend, despite him standing right there. 

 

“Why are you here?” Rhys asks, voice so quiet. “I mean, I know why, but,” He hides his face for a moment before turning away. “You could just leave,” 

 

Vaughn’s brow furrows, and his head lowers. “I don’t know,” He says. 

 

“I know I messed up real bad,” Rhys says, speech slow and steady, “You don’t have to forgive me, and we don’t have to be friends if you don’t want it.” 

 

When Vaughn’s eyes meet Rhys’s, his heart skips a beat. He misses his best friend.

 

“I missed you,” Rhys continues, “I miss you,” 

 

“I know,” Vaughn replies, “I know you do,” 

 

So, they simply look at each other, both wearing those tired, weary eyes. Rhys stops drinking from the bottle, and his hand eventually falls from it, letting it dangle. Knots are in his stomach, twisting and turning, and everything is on fire. He knows, that in that trophy case, there he is, staring back at him, laughing. 

 

“You don’t have a place to stay,” Rhys blurts out, “You stay at my place, if you want,” 

 

Despite his garbled english and alcohol breath, Vaughn’s able to understand the offer. 

 

“I have a couch, obviously. It’d be weird if I didn’t have a couch. You can sleep on the couch,” 

 

Vaughn smiles weakly. “Like our old college days,” 

 

“I guess,” Rhys replies, “I feel like I’m gonna pass out,” 

 

“Uh, crap, you need help getting home?” 

 

Rhys attempts to rise from his seat, wobbly and stumbling around, “Yeah, probably. If we’re lucky, nobody’ll try to assassinate me,” 

 

Vaughn’s a bit concerned, but he doesn’t pry for an explanation. Vaughn gets back up on his feet too, and for a minute, he realizes how gangly Rhys can look sometimes. 

 

“Come on,” Vaughn says, putting a hand on Rhys’s shoulder blade. 

 

A small noise escapes Rhys the second he feels Vaughn’s hand, a noise Vaughn doesn’t catch.

 

“You better remember the directions, because I have no idea where you live,” Vaughn says, guiding Rhys out of the door.

 

“Yeah, probably,” Is all Rhys whispers.

 

Rhys is Atlas, but tonight, he’s taking a vacation, because the weight has become unbearable. His chest is tight and he can’t breath. 

 

Vaughn doesn’t know why he’s sticking around. He could just carry on with his mission, and head back home to Pandora, but he’s here, guiding a wasted Rhys back to his apartment. 

 

Vaughn finds that Rhys’s voice is echoing in his head.

 

‘We don’t have to be friends,’ He said. 

 

Vaughn doesn’t know what to say about that. 

 

Katagawa and the war Maliwan has waged against Atlas doesn’t exist right now. 

 

When Vaughn’s about to turn away to head into Rhys’s living room to pass out on his couch, something catches his eye. 

 

He turns around, hand on the door frame, watching Rhys fumble with his prosthetic arm. 

 

Rhys feels humiliated, not looking back at Vaughn as he tugs the arm off. 

 

“I don’t want to get strangled,” He says, “Go away, leave me alone,” 

 

He wants to sound angry, scare Vaughn off, tell him that he isn’t weak, he’s not a coward, he’s not scared, but there is no bit of malice in his voice. 

 

Vaughn leaves, shutting Rhys’s door quietly. 

 

Rhys passes out hugging his pillow close to his body, and for the first time in years, he dreams.

 


	5. Chores, and the Feelings Everyone Involved Wishes They Could Ignore,

Sitting back on Pandora, on the roof of the caravan, face turned to the world disappearing with each second, the snow he knows exists doesn’t appear. 

 

“You look lonely,” The blue figure says, glitching in and out of a false reality. He doesn’t look up at it, because he knows what it’ll be.

 

“I can’t stay here,” He replies, breath escaping his lungs like a polluted fog.

 

If he thinks hard enough, he’ll cease to exist, like the shadowed figures in the caravan below, fake and blurry forever. 

 

“Let’s be friends,” The figure answers, and then it stops existing, because he won’t look at it.

 

The first thing Rhys does when he wakes up is let out a long, long groan, pressing his arm against his head to cover his eyes. 

 

He remembers bits and pieces of last night, but nothing concrete. Thankfully, he’s not dead yet, so he rolls to the edge of the bed, reaching down to grab his arm. 

 

He remembers Vaughn, of course, and not some drunken hallucination of Vaughn. As he connects the arm’s wires into its socket silently, taking his sweet time making sure everything is correctly placed. He gives his fingers a flex, bending and unbending his arm twice. He fell asleep in his work clothes, though his vest was left on the floor at the door to the living room. It’s another day of being alive. 

 

Rhys shrugs his wrinkled dress shirt off, rummaging through his closet for a shirt that doesn’t make him look crazy and unwashed. While he buttons his shirt, he stares himself down in the full-length mirror, those bags under his eyes appearing more and more clear by the day. He sweeps his hair back with a fresh coat of gel, and decides it’s too much effort to brush his teeth this morning. While he passes through the door to the living room, the aperture in his palm opens, and he finally checks on his inbox, certain to find spam, more spam, and about sixty messages from Maliwan. 

 

He notices a figure move in the corner of his eye, and for a second, he’s startled, but then he remembers that it’s just Vaughn. He closes his fist, saying goodbye to his junkmail, and greets him.

 

With his open vest off, his shoulder pad on the coffee table, and hair just a bit messier, Vaughn has his sniper rifle on his lap, wiping the barrel down carefully, that intense, concentrated look in his eye. When he notices Rhys, he meets his gaze.

 

“Oh, hey,” Vaughn’s the first to speak. “Good morning, I think, Promethea is really dark,” 

 

Shrugging, Rhys makes his way to his small kitchen. “Yeah, nobody really knows,” He begins making himself a large, large cup of coffee, “Did you sleep at all?” 

 

Vaughn pauses for a second before resuming gun cleaning, “Honestly, I’m not sure? I feel pretty good, so I guess I did,” 

 

“Great, because we have work to do. I doubt Katagawa’s going to give up after you removed his hijacking devices, so once we’re at HQ, I’ll get started on building a countermeasure, something that’ll keep the Catch-a-Rides from getting tampered with, it shouldn’t be too hard, just a matter of reverse-engineering, which, y’know, Atlas is known for,” 

 

For a moment, Vaughn smiles, because he nearly forgot that he wasn’t the only nerd. Watching Rhys babble, it sends him back to their early days. The smile fades when he forces himself to remember that this isn’t the old days.

 

“Thanks. The sooner we get this taken care of, the better,” He replies, setting his gun beside him and standing. 

 

He doesn’t notice when Rhys’s gaze drifts downwards, gladly, but Rhys is quick to shake it off, returning his gaze to his coffee. 

 

While Vaughn pulls his vest back on, Rhys gets a notification, and quietly grumbles to himself.

 

Well, at least he had a moment's peace before somebody calls him. 

 

Taking a quick sip of his coffee, he picks up the call, exchanging a glance with Vaughn. 

 

“Hey, Lorelei,” Rhys hums, “I nearly had a peaceful morning this time, that’s gotta be a new record,” 

 

“Good to see you’re in a well enough mood,” She says, “Am I on speaker?” 

 

Turning his back on Vaughn, Rhys leans against the counter, voice a little bit quieter.

 

“No, you’re not, Lorelei,” He answers, his brow furrowing, “What’s up?” 

 

“Just wanting to make sure top secret information doesn’t reach the wrong ears,” She replies, “Skyman’s keeping the civilians under Meridian as safe as he can, but I’m not too sure how long he can keep it up.” For a second, Rhys hears her muffled voice as she covers the mic, but she soon returns. “It’s a quiet day today, I haven’t seen many Maliwan patrols around the city. If we’re lucky, Katagawa took a vacation,” 

 

“Or maybe he’s preparing something big,” Rhys replies, “We’ve lost too many soldiers already, Lorelei, don’t let your guard down,” 

 

“I know, I know,” Lorelei says, “You get dark real quick, Rhys,” 

 

Rhys sighs, “Yeah, sorry, I just had a rough night. I’ll be at HQ soon,” 

 

“I’ll see you soon, Rhys. Try not to flaunt your ego too hard today, you might pull something,”  

 

“Alright, get back to work, or I’ll fire you,” 

 

“Daw,” Lorelei coos, “I love you too, Rhys,” 

 

Rolling his eyes, Rhys hangs up. 

 

“Big important business calls, huh?” Vaughn eventually says, stretching his back, “Sounds terrible,”

 

“You have no idea,” Rhys replies, “Come on, I don’t like being late,” 

 

“You’re the boss,” Vaughn says, sliding his rifle back into its holster.

 

So, Rhys is the first one out of the door, fixing his tie and returning his baton to the holster on his belt.

 

When they’re out of the building and out on the street, Vaughn takes in the sight of a completely empty world, with Maliwan branded roadblocks and the distant sound of crashing vehicles. The hundreds of screens in the city are supposed to cycle through ads, yet recently, they’re all stuck on Maliwan, just another show of their power, and their takeover. 

 

“Do you really just walk around with no security?” Vaughn asks, giving Rhys a strange look.

 

“Hey, I’ve got security,” Rhys replies, patting his shock baton, 

 

“Yeah, but you can’t really shock somebody when you get shot,” Vaughn snaps back.

 

Rhys shrugs. “Haven’t died yet,” He says, “Besides, Zer0 usually lurks around here, they’d save me if I really needed it,” 

 

“You can’t rely on that,” Vaughn says, “That’s like saying you’d, I dunno, be safe driving in Pandora because you have airbags,” 

 

“Hey,” A voice echoes, followed by the sound of a gun cocking, “I found ‘em!” 

 

Vaughn’s first instinct is to go for his rifle, but Rhys stops him, resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Wait,” He whispers.

 

Their eyes go across the street, where a lone Maliwan scout shakes like a prospector who just struck gold, “Oh, man, hey, guys,” He yelps, pressing his finger to his ear, “I found the guy! Oh man, I’m gonna get promoted so hard,” 

 

Rhys blinks. “Hey, you,” He says, taking a step forward, arms raised, “You don’t want to do this,”

 

The scout scoffs, “Yeah, why? I’m gonna shoot that dumb mustache off your face,”

 

Rhys reaches into his pocket and retrieves a handful of cash, enough to feed a small town. “Today’s your lucky day! I’m feeling generous,” 

 

The scout stares at him through a mask. 

 

“Uh, nevermind, I didn’t find him, it’s just a, uh, animal,” The scout snatches the money, actually having struck gold now. “Oh, man, I’m gonna feed my cat so much wet food, thanks, dude we want to kill, I definitely don’t want to kill you now,” 

 

Rhys backs away and gives the man a wink, “Hey, you should think about joining Atlas,” He says, “We’ve got the cooler guns,” 

 

“Uh, yeah, sure, bro!” The scout says, pocketing his gun and scurrying off, like an excited child. 

 

Vaughn just watched that entire scene play out. 

 

“Y’see,” Rhys says, returning to Vaughn’s side with his hands in his pockets, “When you’re rich, you can just pay off your enemies! No violence required,” 

 

“Huh,” Vaughn hums in response, “That was impressive,” 

 

“Thank you,” Rhys replies, that stupid smirk on his face, “You shouldn’t be so trigger-happy, Vaughn, most of the goons Maliwan hires aren’t too bad, it’s just the higher-ups you gotta look out for,”

 

“Yeah, well,” Vaughn adds, “I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but I’ve been on Pandora this entire time, where bandits want to eat my face, or crazy plant monsters start attacking,” 

 

Rhys gives him a funny look, “Plant monsters?” 

 

Vaughn looks away, gaze on the ground. “What I’m saying is, we’ve been in two very, very different environments for a long time,” 

 

“Guess you’re right about that,” Rhys says, “If you’re ever feeling homesick, just take a ride to the Meridian Outskirts,” 

 

“Yeah, no,” Vaughn instantly says, glaring, “It does feel weird, though, reminds me a bit of Helios,” 

 

“I know, right? Y’know, except without all the creepy Handsome Jack posters,” 

 

“Weren’t you the one collecting those? For,” He makes quotation marks with his fingers, “‘Motivation’?” 

 

Rhys doesn’t answer.

 

“Actually,” Rhys switches the topic, “I’ve been meaning to ask, uh, have you heard anything from the girls? I mean, probably not, they like disappearing, right?”

 

Vaughn adjusts his goggles, “Sasha and Fiona moved to Eden-6 not too long ago, Fiona and Gortys are vault-hunting, and Sasha’s working with the Jakobs family,” 

 

Rhys stares, and he stops walking.

 

“Oh,” He says, voice cracking. Vaughn isn’t like him. “Yeah, sure, that’s cool, y’know, knowing they’re doing fine, yeah. I’m happy for them, awesome,” 

 

“You could call them, y’know,” Vaughn says after a second of hesitation.

 

Rhys chuckles faintly, a dark tone following, “Yeah, and have Katagawa find them? I guess you haven’t noticed, but Katagawa tracks my calls. That guy’s a lunatic, I wouldn’t put it past him trying to use my friends as bait,” 

 

Rhys starts walking again, pace a little bit faster, shoulders squared. 

 

Vaughn follows after. “Whatever you say, Rhys,” 

 

Rhys lets out a huff. “Give me one of those Maliwan thing-a-majiggs,” He says, reaching a hand in front of Vaughn and making a quick grabbing motion. 

 

Vaughn doesn’t answer, but he does reach into his bag and retrieve one of them, dropping it into Rhys’s hand. 

 

“Thank you,” Rhys replies, no amount of comfort in his voice. There’s a beep, and he groans. “Dammit,” 

 

He taps his ear, and Vaughn’s left behind as Rhys begins to babble into his echo. “What.” He snaps at the poor person on the other side.

 

So, Vaughn follows, further and further away from Rhys.

 

Rhys fumbles around with the device, searching for any opening or maybe he’s just messing with it to appear busy, to avoid talking to Vaughn. “Stop, stop, slow down,” Rhys says, voice loud, “What’s wrong?”

 

For a minute, Rhys is silent, and even though Vaughn can only see Rhys’s back, he sees him tense, head lowering.

 

“Is anybody hurt?” He says. After a second of silence, he raises his voice, “God dammit,”

 

There’s a metallic clang, like a can getting crushed, and Vaughn notices several wires and scraps fall to the ground. Concerned, he walks a bit closer, and to the side, and sees the Maliwan device in Rhys’s metallic grip, crushed like it’s nothing.

 

“When I get to the office, I’ll deal with it, alright?” 

 

Rhys hangs up.

 

“The bandits that the COV brought raided one of our warehouses, probably for guns,” He groans, “Maliwan showed up, and then the bandits attacked them, and then when my guys showed up, Maliwan killed the bandits, killed most of my guys, and ran off with one of the crates,” 

 

“The bandits are attacking Maliwan, now?” Vaughn asks, eyes wide. 

 

“Don’t ask me! I don’t think they understand that they’re working with Maliwan.” 

 

Vaughn closes his mouth, and Rhys takes a deep, deep breath. 

 

Rhys is Atlas, and Rhys can’t forget that, and despite the crushing weight of the world, he needs to continue on with a smile on his face, because that’s what his people expect from him. 

 

Nothing else matters.

 

Up a flight of stairs, Rhys greets the two guards outside the HQ doors, with a sudden smile on his face, and Vaughn can see how forced it is. Vaughn follows Rhys inside, and he tells himself not to ask, not to pry, not to force himself in Rhys’s mind. He worries regardless. 

 

Rhys flags down one of the engineers enjoying a cup of water by the cooler.

 

“Hey, hey, hey, Jonas,” He says, that chipper tone echoing, “Quick question, I’ve got some tech I need you to take apart.” 

 

“Uh,” The engineers says, “Sure?”

 

“Great! Thanks!” Rhys replies, but then realizes that he crushed the device earlier. He throws it in the garbage right next to him. “Vaughn, give him another one,”

 

Vaughn glares, yet obliges, handing the engineer another one of the devices he gathered. 

 

“Yeah!” The engineer stutters, “Thanks, uh, boss, I’ll get on that lickity-split,” 

 

Who says lickity-split anymore? This guy, apparently. Vaughn glances at Rhys, and Rhys straightens his tie. 

 

“So, I’m going to my office, and you,” His voice trails off before he decides what to say next. “Do whatever, just don’t die, you’re too valuable,” 

 

Vaughn stares at him. 

 

Rhys hides his face, letting out a groan, “Wait, no, I didn’t mean it like that,” He whines, “It’s not like that, I mean,” He pauses, and quiets his voice, “Yeah, you’re important, but you’re important to me, specifically,” He averts his gaze, “So, please don’t die,” 

 

Vaughn opens his mouth, but he closes it a second after. 

 

Even though nobody is looking, Rhys is sure everyone is staring at him. 

 

“Uh,” He stammers, “Bye,” 

 

Vaughn’s left in the dust as Rhys awkwardly makes his escape, and he’s left with one question in his head. Did that just happens? Actually, two questions, why didn’t he say anything?

 

He yelps when somebody nudges him. He whips around, finding himself face to face with Lorelei, her arms crossed. 

 

“Oh, crap, uh, hi?” He says, eyes wide.

 

“Okay,” She says, laughing, “That was awful,” 

 

“You should stop eavesdropping, dude, also, you scared the hell out of me,” Vaughn says. 

 

“I wasn’t eavesdropping, but I did see Rhys squirm like that, poor sod,” She shakes her head, “You’ve gotta stop getting under his skin like that,” 

 

“What do you mean?” Vaughn replies, voice high-pitched and confused, “I didn’t do anything, I didn’t even say anything!” 

“Well,” She continues, “You may have not said anything, but you’ve got that thing about you,” 

 

He is so confused.

 

“What does that even mean? What thing?”

 

She shrugs. “I dunno, maybe it’s the abs,” 

 

“Whatever,” 

 

She raises her hands. “Woah, no need for the hostility, Vaughn,” She says, smiling, “What’s gotten you in a mood?” 

 

Vaughn sighs. “I don’t know, just stressed,” 

 

Lorelei nods. “Yeah, talking to Rhys will do that to you, ‘specially when he’s pissed,”

 

He tilts his head, “No, it’s not that, I mean, yeah? I guess?” 

 

She groans, “You two are impossible,” She says, “I heard about what happened at the downtown warehouse, with the COV’s goons, Zer0 and I are going on a mission to retrieve whatever the hell Maliwan stole, are you in?” 

 

“Actually, I’m waiting on something,” 

 

“Yeah,” She hums, “Whatever it is, it’s gonna take awhile. Atlas takes its sweet time when you need something,” 

 

“Well,” Vaughn replies, sighing, “I guess. I hope you’re a better driver than Zer0,” 

 

She laughs, and Vaughn’s suddenly regretting his decisions. 

 

When he’s in the car sandwiched between Lorelei and Zer0, he’s definitely regretting his decisions.

 

When Lorelei runs a bandit over, the car jumps like it hit a road bump.

 

“So,” Lorelei says, “Plant monsters, huh?” 

 

Vaughn had no idea Zer0 was such a blabbermouth. 

 

Zer0 looks at Lorelei, then at Vaughn, a heart on their face. “In the Backburner, Vaughn had a midlife crisis, the ‘bros’ never end”

 

Vaughn raises his hands in protest, “It wasn’t a mid-life crisis! What the hell, Zer0? I thought you were my,” Dear god, he was about to say ‘Bro’. “Friend.” 

 

Zer0 has that emoticon smile. “Hilarious,” 

 

“Hey,” Lorelei says, giggling, “Don’t make me turn this car around,” 

 

“We have tech to save, Maliwan cannot have it, probably I guess,” 

 

“Doesn’t matter if we’re stealing back plans for world domination or a bloody toaster, whatever it is, it’s ours,” Lorelei replies, keeping her eyes on the road.

 

“Is Rhys doing alright?” Vaughn suddenly asks, “I mean, he seems, y’know,” 

 

Lorelei’s smile falters a bit. “You shouldn’t worry yourself over him, really. He’s got his problems, yeah, but he always bounces back, usually,”

 

“Usually?” 

 

“Ooh, you should’ve seen him two years ago, I think this was right after he hired Zer0, I walk into his office and there he is wasted out of his damn mind and clinging to Zer0 like a teddy bear,” 

 

‘:(‘ Zer0 emotes. 

 

“He kept asking Zer0 if he was likeable,” Lorelei continues, “Poor guy,” 

 

Vaughn turns to Zer0. “What’d you tell him?” 

 

“I told him the truth, that at the moment he was, very annoying,” 

 

“Ouch,” Vaughn replies, “I know Rhys,” He says, recalling many, many memories, “He doesn’t take it too well when you tell him he’s annoying,” 

 

“Yeah, you should’ve seen his face when Zer0 told him that,” Lorelei adds, “I’ve never seen a more devastated man,” 

 

Vaughn knows the face she’s talking about. Even thinking about it kind of hurts his heart. 

 

“My point it,” Lorelei continues, “That, in the morning, he was right as rain, like he didn’t even remember the night before. Rhys gets pretty wound up sometimes, but he always calms down after awhile, alright?” 

 

When Vaughn looks down, Zer0 speaks up.

 

“It was not just that,” They say, “Rhys had learned I had seen you, he was quite distressed.”

 

Vaughn’s mind goes blank, and his chest goes hollow. 

 

“Wait,” Vaughn says, “Rhys doesn’t know about Hector, or what happened to the Children of Helios, how did he know I met you?” 

 

“He asked about you, if I had seen you some time, if you were happy,”

 

“What did you tell him?” Vaughn asks. 

 

“I said ‘we are bros,’” Zer0 answers.

 

“Are you guys trying to make me feel depressed, or what?” Vaughn asks, throwing an accusatory look. 

 

“If I didn’t know any better,” Lorelei says, slowly stopping the vehicle, “I’d say Rhys has a guy-crush on you,” 

 

“Yeah, whatever you say, Lorelei,” Vaughn replies, rolling his eyes. “Move over, Zer0,” 

 

As Vaughn climbs over Zer0 to get out of the car, Lorelei follows him out. “No, really, I’m serious,” She announces, “Have you seen those puppy-dog eyes? The man’s gone daft for you,”

 

So, Vaughn sighs, his face red. “We were best friends for awhile, sure, but I don’t think he’s interested,” 

 

A long time ago, Vaughn had a crush on Rhys. He wants to tell himself that the feeling is gone. Rhys was strong, brave, he had adapted to the Pandoran climate perfectly, yet there was his nerdy friend Vaughn, still terrified of the world. 

 

That was years ago, and Vaughn tells himself the feeling’s gone. 

 

Vaughn retrieves his rifle, Lorelei pumps her shotgun, and Zer0 flickers in and out of existence, one second in the car, one second next to the other two, sword in their grasp. 

 

“Whatever you say,” Lorelei says, “Zer0 tracked the Maliwan squadron here, whatever they stole should be in here,” 

 

It’s an abandoned pizza shop, small in size, the doors shut.

 

“If I get murdered,” Vaughn says, looking at Zer0, “Tell Ellie that I really, really hate Promethea,” 

 

Zer0 shrugs and takes a small step forward. They tap the tip of their sword against the door, making a gentle knocking noise. 

 

From the inside, the trio hear the muffled voices of the thieves.

 

“Is that the dude supposed to be picking this junk up?” One of the voices say.

 

“Special delivery,” Zer0 announces, and in the next second, Vaughn watches them slice through the doors with ease. 

 

“Well, shit,” Another trooper says, so nonchalant at the sudden appearance of his death.

 

Lorelei nudges Vaughn, giving him a smile. “Well, we’re on,” 

 

By the time Lorelei and Vaughn waltz into the parlour, Zer0 already has bisected one of the guards. 

 

The other four stand awkwardly, staring at the trio. 

 

“Oof,” Vaughn says, taking a step forward, “Today is not your lucky day, bros,” 

 

Lorelei gives the troopers a sweet smile. “Where’s the goods you stole from Atlas?” She asks.

 

One of the guards, shorter than the rest, shakes as he points at a crate in between several chairs, the Atlas logo stamped on it’s side, yet it’s being used as a table. As if one cue, one of the soda cans on the box spills over, and Lorelei groans.

 

“Really? A table?” She asks, exasperated. 

 

Vaughn approaches the box and knocks off all the junk on it, cans and playing cards, and gives the troopers a bandit smile. “Thanks a ton for keeping our stuff safe, guys,” He tells them, “You’ve been real good pals,” 

 

“Hey, fuck you,” One of the larger guards snaps, “We’ve got back-up coming in any second now, shortie,” 

 

“Zer0,” Vaughn says, not looking back, “Go check if we’ve got company,” 

 

“Whatever,” Zer0 answers, disappearing. 

 

Lorelei steps forward and puts her foot on the crate. “You fellas look in here?” She asks. 

 

“Katagawa told us not to look,” The short one says, “He said he wanted to open it, or something.” 

 

Lorelei scrunches her nose up. “God, that guy,” She says, “Vaughn, y’mind?” She adds, turning to Vaughn and tilting her head towards the troopers. 

 

“Yeah, sure,” Vaughn replies casually, pointing his rifle towards the short one. 

 

Disposing of the Maliwan goons is quick and painless, well, it wasn’t painless for the Atlas team. 

 

By the time the last guy dies, Zer0 finally calls them back.

 

“Incoming forces, there are a lot of robots, this will be easy,” They say, and Lorelei holsters her shotgun, switching to a pistol instead. 

 

“Great. Zer0, get back here,” She says, loading her gun, “We don’t know what’s in that crate, could be guns, could be explosives, we don’t want to risk damaging it, so,” 

 

When Zer0 returns, Vaughn watches them retrieve their own sniper rifle, so Vaughn holsters his, opting to pick up an assault rifle from the ground. Whatever element type it holds is good with Vaughn for the moment. 

 

Accidentally cutting her off, Vaughn adds his own leadership skills to the table. “We hold position, keep the crate safe, and stop whatever comes through that door,” He pulls his goggles onto his eyes. “Zer0, get up on the roof, and use your awesome sniping skills, Lorelei, stand guard by the door, there’s a window you can use as an opening, if they’re robots, they’ll definitely call for reinforcements once a bunch of them are down, so we use that as our opportunity to grab the crate and get back into the car, leaving those reinforcements in the dust,” 

 

Lorelei blinks. 

 

“Well, you heard the man, Zer0,” She says, shrugging, “It’s the best plan we’ve got,” 

 

Zer0 stares at Vaughn for a moment before disappearing. A second later, the two hear footsteps on the roof. 

 

While Lorelei takes position by the window near the front door, she looks back at Vaughn. “You’re full of surprises, Vaughn,” 

 

Vaughn shrugs. “I was the leader of a bandit gang for awhile,” He says, “They didn’t actually know how to be bandits, so I taught myself how to strategize. Sorry for stealing your thunder,” 

 

While Vaughn elbows a window, breaking it open, Lorelei shrugs. “I’m a little glad, to be honest. Means I don’t have to be the commander, also, if we totally screw this up, I won’t be the one Rhys yells at,” 

 

Rolling his eyes, Vaughn begins to climb out of the window. “Really feeling the love, here, Lorelei,” He replies, and she snorts.

 

“Awh, sod off, you. Y’know there’s a front door right here, right?” 

 

Vaughn raises a fist. “I’m doing things the bandit way, thank you very much,” 

 

“So you’re leaving me to babysit the crate while you have all the fun?” Lorelei asks. 

 

“Well, we can’t all be grouped up in one spot. I’ll watch your back, but, y’know, from somewhere else, so if I die, you won’t die immediately after,” 

 

“Awh,” Lorelei hums, “How heroic,” 

 

At the sound of a bullet, Lorelei and Vaughn know they’re out of time. 

 

“Stay not-dead,” Vaughn says before departing, running around the building to the front, where sure enough, a robotic army greets them. Vaughn thinks they’re nothing compared to Loader bots, but these robots hover, which is cool. 

 

Zer0 destroys another one of the bots in the front, and Vaughn grabs the edge of one of the outside tables, flipping it onto its side to use as cover. 

 

The bots in the front, colored blue, flash red and blue lights as they approach the small building, arm cannons pointed forwards, all of them issuing similar commands, “Halt, you spit in the face of the law, prepare to be detained,” 

 

Vaughn checks to see if he has his bag before running out of cover, sending electric bullets into their stupid robot faces. Lorelei pokes her head out from the window, picking some of the bots off with her well-aimed shots, meanwhile, Vaughn never went to aiming school, much like most bandits, so he shoots blindly into the crowd, thankfully destroying them one by one. 

 

For the moment, Vaughn feels absolutely alive. 

 

Which is the opposite of how Rhys is feeling. 

 

On the other side of town, Rhys sits with his head in his hand, bored out of his mind. 

 

Jonas, the engineer, presents a small device, pulling a tiny blanket off the presenting table. 

 

“So, uh,” He stutters, pushing his glasses up his face, “Basically, the devices on the Catch-a-Ride systems are meant to overwrite the existing system, and, uh, yeah, it sucks, because Maliwan’s adding a price to the vehicles,”

 

“Jonas, I love you,” Rhys says, covering his face, “But I know this, you don’t have to tell me,” 

 

“Oh, uh, okay,” Jonas replies, twiddling his thumbs. “Uh, this device, once attached to the Catch-a-Ride, should keep, uh, Maliwan from trying to hack it, uh, again,” 

 

“That’s all you had to say, Jonas,” Rhys says, rising up from his office chair. “So, a firewall, right? That’s how it’ll keep the system protected?”

 

Jonas stares at him through his thick lenses, “We were supposed to add a firewall? This device makes the Catch-a-Ride self-destruct if it senses it’s being hacked,” 

 

Rhys’s robot hand begins to twitch, fingers curling and uncurling quickly. 

 

“Okay, no, absolutely not, oh my god,” Rhys says, voice quiet and strained. He takes in a deep, deep, deep breath. “Thank you for your help, Jonas, but that is absolutely the opposite of what I want,” 

 

“Oh, uh, okay, sorry,” Jonas says, backing away a bit.

 

“Hey, wait, take your explode-ey thing, I don’t want it going off in my office,” 

 

“Oh, right,” Jonas says, covering the device back up with it’s tiny blanket and wheeling the presenting table out of Rhys’s office. 

 

When Jonas leaves, and the door shuts behind him, Rhys screams. 

 

Meanwhile, Vaughn’s having the time of his life. 

 

Zer0 ran out of bullets earlier, so while Vaughn takes the robots down with his new rifle at close range, Zer0 arrives at his side with their sword in hand, saying hello to the robots at an even closer range. 

 

Some of the bots have slipped past and barged into the pizza parlour, which Lorelei deals with easily, and the crate remains unharmed. 

 

“Think Katagawa’s angry we stole back Rhys’s things?” Lorelei asks over the comm. 

 

Vaughn jumps, being too short to reach the top of the robots, and slams the butt of his rifle against one of their heads, watching the robot hover backwards, sparks flying from its neck.

 

“I dunno,” Vaughn grunts, “Maybe. I’ve stolen way worse than a supply crate,” 

 

“Ooh,” Lorelei replies, shooting a robot’s arm off. “What has the great commander stolen?” She asks.

 

“Like, ten million dollars,” He answers, watching one of the damaged bots accidentally hover itself into another robot, watching both of them tumble. “Because I’m cool like that,” 

 

“You’ve gotta tell me that story when we get back,” Lorelei says, “Hopefully over drinks, because I need a break,” 

 

“Sure,” Vaughn answers, while Zer0 jams their sword into the side of one of the police-bots. 

 

“Badass,” Zer0 chimes in, having sent a duplicate forward, the real Zer0 stands behind Vaughn.

 

“Uh, thanks?” Vaughn immediately replies. Zer0 reaches out, grabbing his shoulder and turning him to the side. 

 

“Badass,” They repeat, adding extra emphasis with those two syllables. 

 

“Oh,” Vaughn says, eyes widening at the large, large robot approaching. 

 

“Oh,” Lorelei says, reloading as she says, “That’s a bloody big one,”

 

With the name Maliwan branded on it’s side, the badass points it’s two large arm cannons at Zer0 and Vaughn. 

 

Zer0 disappears, and Vaughn’s left alone. He groans. 

 

Running back towards the pizza shop, Vaughn’s able to slip past the rockets being shot at him. He pushes the door open with his shoulder, and he lets out a breath as he rests his hands on his knees.

 

Lorelei pockets her pistol and retrieves her shotgun. 

 

“So,” She says.

 

“I’ve got a plan,” Vaughn breathes out, slowly standing up straight. 

 

“Where are you. You will be found.” The robot outside says, voice digitized and deep.

 

“I’ve got an EMP generator Rhys gave me a while ago,” He says, patting his bag. “If you can distract the bot, I can get in close and deactivate it,” 

 

“We’re gonna need a bigger EMP if we’re gonna deactivate that big bloke,” Lorelei counters, but Vaughn shrugs. 

 

“Maybe, but it’ll ruin it’s day either way,” 

 

“Fair enough,” Lorelei says, cracking her neck. “Zer0, you’re with me,”

 

Zer0 appears by her side.

 

“Whatever you say, I am a good distraction, it’s my action skill” Zer0 replies, giving her an emoticon smile. 

 

Zer0’s the first out of the door, running with their arms behind their back, and Lorelei follows close after. Vaughn retreats to the window he exited out of earlier, watching the bot closely.

 

“There you are. Stop. Halt. You are hurting my feelings.” The robot announces, “Ow,” It says, feeling Lorelei’s shotgun pellets enter its front. “Not cool.”

 

It stomps as it spins to catch Lorelei circling it, while Zer0 sends their decoy out to spin it’s sword around, the real Zer0 waiting. 

 

With its back turned to Vaughn, he can see a clear battery on it’s back, certain that’s what’s keeping it alive.

 

So, hopping out of the window, Vaughn reaches into his bag, hand around the EMP generator. This’ll be so cool if he can pull this off.

 

He activates the device and throws it, watching it slide underneath the robot, sending a small pulse through its body, not completely stopping it, but definitely slowing it down.

 

Vaughn retrieves his knife from its holster on his thigh, stepping onto one of the dead robots and jumping, the extra bit of height being all he needs to attach himself to the robot’s back, jamming his knife into the battery.

 

“Ow, not cool,” The robot tells him, and he forces it further in, the robot’s voice becoming more and more jumbled.

 

Pulling the knife from the battery, Vaughn hops off the robot, taking several steps back as it stands, unable to move, and then it falls. 

 

Vaughn retrieves the EMP generator from the ground, returning it to his bag as he looks up at Lorelei and Zer0, who just reappeared for real.

 

“Nice job, Vaughn,” Lorelei says, “Though, gonna be honest, seeing you jump onto that things back, it was like you were a tiny backpack,” 

 

“Thanks, Lorelei, you suck,” Vaughn replies, huffing. “Come on, let’s get back to that crate before any more robots get here,” 

 

Zer0’s the first one heading back to the pizza shop, flinging their sword aside to digistruct away, sauntering as they pass by the two. 

 

The trio return to the crate, still untouched, and Lorelei crouches down, opening the crate for a quick peek.

 

“Blueprints,” Lorelei announces, “Katagawa’s favorite,” 

 

“Great,” Vaughn replies, “Let’s get this back to Atlas,” 

 

“I will drive the car, nobody will mess with me, when I’m at the wheel,” Zer0 says, walking out of the building.

 

Lorelei lifts the box into her arms, grunting as she carries it. “Fantastic, now we’ll be carrying valuable information, while being driven around by a bloody crazy person!” 

 

Vaughn follows after, laughing, “We’ve survived worse,” He says.

 

Morning Vaughn wouldn’t be laughing, but this is afternoon Vaughn, who just fought a robot army with two people he thinks he likes a lot, finally back to the bandit king who feels okay with laughing. 

 

When they return to the base with bandit blood coating the hood of the car, Zer0 mysteriously disappears, and Lorelei’s about to help Vaughn with the crate when he easily heaves it into his arms.

 

“I’d fistbump you, but I’m carrying this, so, uh, I owe you a fistbump,” Vaughn tells her, and she laughs.

 

“I’ll see you later, Vaughn,” Lorelei says, backing up towards the car, “I’ve got to head out, make sure Skyman’s keeping our troops in line.”

 

“Alright, Lorelei, take care of yourself,” Vaughn says.

 

He realizes he’s all alone, which means he’s the one bringing the crate back to Rhys.

 

He breathes, and climbs up the flight of stairs to HQ.

 

As he stands in the elevator, he finds himself thinking about Lorelei’s words to him earlier.

 

A guy-crush. That’s stupid. 

 

Yet, thinking about it harder, Vaughn can’t help but blush.

 

It’s fine. They’re friends, no, used to. Whatever.

 

Out of the elevator, Vaughn greets the secretary behind her desk.

 

“Hi, uh, you,” She says, waving. 

 

“Hi, uh, you, too,” Vaughn replies, repeating her words back to her.

 

As he pushes the door open, Rhys is in a call, as usual.

 

“I told you, stop sending me fruit-baskets! I don’t even like fruit that much!” He says, gesturing to the fruit-basket on his desk. “Also, stop calling me!” 

 

When Rhys hangs up, Vaughn clears his throat as he drops the crate.

 

“Lorelei, Zer0 and I got that junk Maliwan stole.”

 

When Rhys turns to face Vaughn, his eyes go to him, then the crate, back to him.

 

And he laughs, light and sweet, he laughs, like it’s the best news he has heard all week.

 

Because it is.

 

“Holy crap,” Rhys says, approaching Vaughn with his arms open, “Thank you,” 

 

Vaughn stiffens when Rhys reaches down, bending his knees awkwardly as he pulls Vaughn into a hug. 

 

Vaughn hesitates, but slowly he returns the hug. 

 

For a second, Rhys is the happiest he has ever been in awhile, and he’s not too sure why. 

 

Rhys realizes what he’s doing.

 

He pulls back quickly, arms dropping to his side as he apologizes. “Uh, sorry about that,” 

 

Vaughn’s blushing. 

 

“Uh, yeah,” Vaughn says, laughing awkwardly. “Why are you getting sent fruit-baskets?”

 

Rhys internally thanks Vaughn for the topic change. 

 

“Katagawa’s trying to be nice,” He says, “You like fruit, right?” 

 

Vaughn approaches Rhys’s desk, taking a small piece of drakefruit off a stick. “Yeah, I’m gonna eat this whole thing,” He says. 

 

Rhys crouches down, smiling. He opens the crate, rummaging through its contents.

 

“I would show you what I’ve been working on, but that means I’d have to kill you,” Rhys says, closing the crate shut. “Confidential stuff, y’know?”

 

Vaughn nods. “Yeah, understandable,” He says, chewing on the small piece of fruit.

 

When he gets back up on his feet, Rhys has that smile on his face, the smile that makes Vaughn look away in fear of smiling too.

 

“Thank you, really,” He says, “I’ve had a really crappy day, and you’ve saved it,”

 

“Technically,” Vaughn intervenes, “You should be thanking Lorelei and Zer0, they’re the ones that planned it. I was just a, uh, added arm,” 

 

“I’ll thank them with more cash in their pockets,” Rhys replies, returning to his desk. He sits on his throne, leaning back in his seat. 

 

“So,” Vaughn eventually says, “Did that engineer ever finish his job?”

 

Rhys’s eyes widen. 

 

“Uh,” He says, standing up, hands on his desk. 

 

There’s a flashdrive by Rhys’s hand, he hides it underneath his palm.

 

Rhys has a moral dilemma.

 

“Yeah, but it self-destructed accidentally,” He says, wincing.

 

Vaughn looks at him wide-eyed. “Really?”

 

“Yeah! Just,” He gestures with his mechanical hand, making a fake explosion noise. “In his face,” 

 

“Damn,” Vaughn says, eating more fruit. 

 

“He’s working on a replacement right now,” Rhys says, “I don’t know how long it’ll be,”

 

Vaughn’s silent for a bit. 

 

“I, uh,” Vaughn sighs, “Alright,” 

 

“Here,” Rhys says, reaching into his back pocket. He retrieves a key, holding it out to Vaughn. “That’s my room key, there’s also a passcode, combination is one two four three,” 

 

Vaughn stares at him. “Rhys, that combination is horrible,”

 

Rhys laughs. “Yeah, you’re right, just get out of here, I’ve got some stuff to finish up on.” 

 

Vaughn takes the key and the fruit-basket.

 

When he leaves, Rhys falls back into his chair, the flashdrive in his palm.

 

On that drive is the answer to Vaughn’s problems, Rhys programmed it himself. 

 

Why did he lie?

 

Rhys lets out a groan, eyes sliding shut. 

 

He needs a drink.

 

He drank all of his wine earlier.

 

The secretary watches him step out of his office.

 

“Uh, are you heading out, Rhys?” She asks. 

 

Rhys offers her a smile. “Yeah. I’ll see you later, Abigail,” 

 

He passes by the two guards outside his office, arm-wrestling.

 

When he leaves HQ, he turns and walks in the opposite direction from his apartment.

 

The street glows blue in the dark, and Rhys walks with his hands in his pockets.

 

A few minutes later, his mind blank, Rhys approaches the abandoned bar he frequented long before Maliwan’s war sent everyone packing. 

 

He hopes nobody minds if he steals some booze. Probably not.

 

So, in the silence, Rhys pours himself some whiskey, sitting up on a barstool at the counter.

 

His eyes slide shut, and his brow furrows a bit. He sighs.

 

“What.” He says, snapping at the figure in the doorway. 

 

“You look lonely,” Katagawa says, slipping past Rhys. 

 

“I’m not even drunk yet, and you’re bothering me. Fantastic.”

 

Katagawa sits next to Rhys, and Rhys doesn’t look at him. 

 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Katagawa asks, offering a sincere look.

 

“No,” Rhys replies, downing the shot glass immediately after. 

 

“Then give me some of that,” He says, pointing at the bottle.

 

Rhys glares, but slides the whiskey along the table, which Katagawa happily accepts.

 

“Thank you,” He says, and Rhys grunts.

 

Quietly, Katagawa retrieves his own glass and pours himself some whiskey.

 

“You only come here when you’re low,” Katagawa says, “I’ve noticed,”

 

Rhys rolls his eyes. “Leave me alone, Katagawa,” 

 

“Let’s be friends,” Katagawa says, and Rhys freezes. 

 

He’s heard that one before.

 

“We can be friends when you call off whatever the hell it is you think your doing,” Rhys replies. 

 

“You know I won’t do that,” The other says, that level-headed tone on his tongue. 

 

“Dick,” Rhys snaps. 

 

“Thanks,” Katagawa says, that damned smile on his face. 

 

After a minute of hesitation, Rhys lowers his head. “Why do you even care, Katagawa,” He asks, glaring.

 

“I care about you,” Katagawa says, “Just checking in on an old friend,”

 

Rhys scoffs. “Yeah, sure,” 

 

Katagawa puts a mechanical palm on Rhys’s human hand, that yellow eye flickering up to meet his troubled gaze.

 

“I told you, a long time ago, that if there’s anything you need from me, don’t hesitate to ask,” 

 

Rhys snatches his hand back, rolling his eyes as he sets aside the shot glass, now drinking straight from the bottle. 

 

“I don’t need you,” Rhys replies. “It’s not you,” 

 

Katagawa’s gaze darkens a bit.

 

“It’s about Vaughn, right?” Katagawa bluntly asks. “Your friend,”

 

Rhys glares knives into Katagawa.

 

“I’ve spoken with him. He sounds nice.” 

 

“Stop calling my friends,” Rhys says, “It’s weird,” 

 

“Sure,” Katagawa replies, definitely lying.

 

After a few minutes of sweet silence, Katagawa’s finger circles along the rim of his glass.

 

“I’m a fan of the mustache,” He says.

 

Rhys doesn’t let himself melt in Katagawa’s grasp, not again.

 

“Sure,” He harshly replies, still glaring.

 

“Poor Atlas,” Katagawa says, voice so quiet and gentle, “The world finally weighs on him,” 

 

“I don’t have a joke about Maliwan, so screw you,” Rhys replies. Nice one.

 

Katagawa leans a bit closer. “You should look at the label,” He whispers.

 

Rhys’s gaze flicks from Katagawa to the whiskey.

 

Maliwan Black Label.

 

He looks back at Katagawa.

 

“I hope you die,” He says.

 

“You’re still so much fun,” Katagawa replies, smiling.

 

“Shut up and drink,” Rhys says, and Katagawa obliges, still taking those tiny, tiny sips that Rhys finds weird.

 

Minutes, or maybe hours pass in the dark silence of the bar, and Rhys refuses to look at Katagawa. 

 

“Do you need a hug?” Katagawa asks.

 

Rhys’s brow furrows, and his head lowers. 

 

He swivels the bar stool around and stands up, as if ready to leave.

 

“Fine,” He says, opening his arms. 

 

Katagawa is out of his seat in an instant, bringing Rhys into a tight embrace, and Rhys is slow to return the hug. He hates that Katagawa is such a kind hugger. 

 

He feels like crying, and he doesn’t know why. 

 

When Katagawa pulls back, Rhys nearly follows him.

 

“Do you want me to walk you home?” Katagawa asks, hands in his pockets. 

 

“Absolutely not,” Rhys replies. “I don’t feel like drinking anymore,” 

 

Katagawa holds the door open for him.

 

On the sidewalk, Rhys finally notices the long black coat Katagawa’s wearing, watching it sway gracefully in the wind. 

 

With that yellow eye gazing at him, Katagawa smiles. “It was good seeing you, Strongfork,” 

 

Rhys glares. “Yeah, whatever you say,”

 

Katagawa watches Rhys turn his back on him and walk. 

 

Rhys returns home, and when he knocks at the door, Vaughn opens the door.

 

“Hey,” Rhys says.

 

“Hey,” Vaughn replies. 

 

Rhys has such a somber look on his face, Vaughn’s chest tightens.

 

Rhys reaches slowly, taking Vaughn’s hand in his metal grasp, and in his human hand, he drops something small into Vaughn’s palm.

 

“Just go, bro,” Rhys says, voice so broken. “It’s fine,”

 

He doesn’t wait for a reply. Gently pushing Vaughn to the side, he escapes into his bedroom.

 

When Vaughn opens his palm, his brow furrows.

 

In white marker, on the side of the drive, ‘RhysWins’ greets him. 

 

As Rhys climbs into bed, Vaughn closes his fist, and makes a choice. 


	6. Rhys’s Self-Made Complications,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi i was on vacation but im BACK babEYYY

Vaughn finds himself on the roof of the apartment complex, cycling through his contacts with the swipe of his thumb, the names becoming blurrier and blurrier with each passing second. It’s still night, or possibly not, and the skyscrapers in the distance cut through the darkness like tissue paper, a man-made substitute for the stars that don’t exist. The Maliwan logo floods the city, it’s faint green glow against the city of blue. Red flashes down in the streets, evacuation alerts blinking and blinking forever. It’s peaceful.

 

He decides that higher ground would help his chances of actually calling somebody. 

 

The flashdrive’s in his pocket, and Vaughn doesn’t know what to do. There’s something pulling him back, telling him to go back, back to that apartment room, but Vaughn tells himself he can’t. This isn’t his home, he doesn’t belong here. He keeps cycling through his contacts, but he isn’t sure he’s reading the names anymore. There’s a faint breeze in the wind. 

 

Why is he so torn about this? 

 

Vaughn hears the gentlest of sounds, and believes it’s a cacophony in his ears, whipping around with a yelp, his eyes wide.

 

There’s a glowing, digitized smile looking back at him, the slim figure of Zer0 standing straight. 

 

“Zer0?” Vaughn questions, taking a step closer to them. The darkness keeps Zer0 mostly in the shadow.

 

“You are on my roof,” Zer0 says, so matter-of-factly, “Why are you even up here, to die or something?” 

 

Vaughn rolls his eyes as he turns back around. “No, not today,” He says, taking a seat at the edge of the building, feet dangling. “I have no idea what I’m doing,”

 

Zer0 stands still for a moment, but eventually they march across the roof, joining Vaughn with their knees bent to their chest.

 

“I am used to this, people whining and whining, what is wrong with you?” They ask, and Vaughn simply stares at them before turning away, sighing.

 

“Do you remember when Hector attacked, and you and your friends just sort of showed up at my base?”

 

“Yes,” They reply.

 

“I wasn’t, uh, doing well, obviously, yeah.” Vaughn wonders why he’s stuttering so much. “I lost my gang, lost my friends, Rhys left for Promethea,” 

 

“You love him,” Zer0 says, and the world stops moving.

 

A long time ago, down below in Moxxi’s makeshift bar, Vaughn drowns himself in her supply, and cries, because he misses his friend. 

 

‘I think I love him,’ Vaughn said to nobody, because nobody was listening to him, because he was just the annoying bandit. ‘He’s gone forever,’

 

Now, on the roof of Rhys’s apartment, Vaughn has to face Zer0 after they say that to him.

 

Slowly, he shakes his head.

 

“I don’t know,” He croaks, “I don’t know,”

 

It’s easier to say he doesn’t, that him and Rhys aren’t friends anymore, that he didn’t stay up night after night missing Rhys’s stupid laugh. 

 

He knew this would happen.

 

But, he’s a bandit, and the bandit never wins. 

 

A long time ago, Vaughn told Rhys he didn’t want to be left behind, because he was just the nerd friend, and Rhys was the hero of the story. Rhys told him that’d never happen, and then for seven years, Vaughn watched maniacs rip each other apart, and Rhys got rich on Promethea. It’s funny how easily promises can fall through, but Vaughn doesn’t think he’s angry about that anymore.

 

Promethea isn’t for him, even if Rhys did bring him to Promethea, it was never made for him. Pandora is where he belongs, and Rhys doesn’t belong on Pandora.

 

He has a life lightyears away from Rhys.

 

He doesn’t want to say goodbye to Rhys again, but he knows he has to, because this isn’t his home. 

 

Zer0’s been staring at him this entire time, minutes of pure uninterrupted silence, because Vaughn couldn’t say anything. 

 

He tells himself he doesn’t love Rhys anymore. 

 

“You will have to choose,” Zer0 eventually says, breaking the silence. 

 

Vaughn’s looking down below, blurry-eyed and confused. 

 

“And I make my departure,” Zer0 continues, scooting closer to the edge. 

 

Vaughn holds a fist up to Zer0, still looking down.

 

Zer0 stares at the offer, and accepts, giving Vaughn a four-fingered fistbump.

 

“Don’t fall off the edge,” Zer0 advises, and with that, they disappear, leaving Vaughn in the quiet breeze above Meridian, the sea of blue lights remaining forever. 

 

Vaughn finally arises from his seat, and looks back at the door to down below. 

 

He cycles back again through contacts with the swipe of his thumb, the names blurrier and blurrier, and as he drags in a deep breath, he abruptly stops the cycle, finger landing on a name, and he lets the breath out. 

 

It rings, and it rings, and it rings.

 

Vaughn paces back and forth, back and forth, and finds himself mumbling to keep himself grounded, one, two, three, he repeats over and over again under his breath, one, two, three.

 

And then, through the gentle song of static, a voice so sweet and familiar fills his ears.

 

“Vaughn,” Yvette gasps, and by the tone of her voice, Vaughn’s sure he woke her up, “Is that you?”

 

Vaughn hesitates for a moment, but he swallows his anxiety down, and clears his throat.

 

“Yeah, uh,” He says, “Hi, Yvette,”

 

“You sound like shit,” She croaks, and a yawn follows soon after, “You still on Pandora?”

 

“Thanks, Yvette,” Vaughn deadpans, but as she continues, his expression softens. He finds himself staring off into the city while he continues, “No, I, uh,” He sighs, “I’m on Promethea,” 

 

Vaughn hears her nearly choke.

 

“Promethea?” She stammers, voice suddenly loud and clear, “You’re on Promethea?” 

 

“Yeah,” He answers, “I think you’d like it, when it’s not going through some weird corporate warfare thing right now, it reminds me of Helios,” 

 

“I’ve seen pictures,” She says, “I always wanted to vacation there,”

 

“You’d fit right in with the rich asshats here,” Vaughn snickers, and he can hear her huff in response.

 

“I think we’re brushing over the fact that we haven’t spoken in, like, forever,” Yvette nearly cuts Vaughn off as she continues speaking, “What the hell have you been up to? Must be pretty important if you’re on Promethea,”

 

Vaughn laughs.

 

“I mean, you remember Ellie, right? I’ve kind of been living with her since Helios got overrun,”

 

“When you were too chicken to save me, and you had to send your vault hunter buddies to get me out of Helios?” 

 

Vaughn rolls his eyes.

 

“Uh-huh, that’s it,” He groans, “Anyways, I’ve been helping her maintain the Catch-a-Rides on Pandora, what about you?” 

 

“Well,” She lets out a breath, “The Crimson Raiders have gone mobile, they’ve got a ship and everything,”

 

“Really?” Vaughn says, “Let me guess, they’re on a vault-related goose chase,” 

 

“Yup,” Yvette answers, “I’ve sort of been along for the ride, y’know the food’s great here?”

 

“Ah, Yvette the Lunch Leech,” Vaughn reminisces, “Glad you’re having a fun time in space,” 

 

“It’s not too bad up here,” She continues, “Your friends Fiona and, uh, the little robot, Gortys? They’ve stopped by a couple times,”

 

Vaughn finds himself grinning.

 

“That’s great, just, uh, don’t get yourselves killed by space asteroids or something,” 

 

Yvette begins to giggle.

 

“Man, I’ve missed you guys,” She sighs, and then her breath catches.

 

After a moment of silence, Vaughn speaks, “Yvette?” He asks, concerned.

 

“Ah, shit,” She says, “Atlas is on Promethea, isn’t it?”

 

Vaughn lowers his head, and after a second, he begins to nod. “Yeah, they are. Rhys, too,” 

 

“Have you seen him at all?” She quickly asks, “It’s been, fuck, seven years?”

 

“I have, actually,” Vaughn answers, lighting up just a bit, “He’s, uh, he’s made a name for himself, he grew a mustache, y’know?”

 

“Guess we’re gonna have to beat his ass for leaving us in the dust, huh?” She replies, laughing softly, “God, a mustache? Is he going through a midlife crisis?” 

 

“I mean, it looks good on him, you’d be surprised,” Vaughn replies, trying to ignore what she first said. 

 

“Don’t tell me you’ve still got a crush on him,” She groans, and Vaughn freezes up.

 

Christ, it seems like everyone’s against him.

 

He chuckles awkwardly, “What are you talking about?”

 

“Oh, my god, Vaughn, I know you’re not that dumb,” She says, “When we were still working for Hyperion, you were glued to his side for the entire time,” She pauses, “Besides, you’re pretty easy to read. Face it, Vaughn, you were crushing real bad,” 

 

“Okay!” He blurts out, catching her off guard, “Okay, I did, but that was years ago,”

 

He’s sure he can hear her raise her brow questionably.

 

“We’re different people now, and he’s way too busy to hang around someone like me,”

 

“Bullshit,” Yvette intervenes, “Rhys is still Rhys, and you’re still you, so cut that brooding lone wolf shit out.”

 

Vaughn closes his mouth.

 

“Deep down, you two are still those dumb nerds that’d sing karaoke blackout drunk together at bars, so just lighten up, alright?” 

Vaughn’s quiet for awhile, because he’s not sure what to say.

 

As much as he wants to deny her, to say she doesn’t know what she’s talking about, that things will never be the same, he knows she’s right, because she’s always right.

 

“I think he wants me to go back to Pandora,” His hand goes to his pocket, where the flashdrive lies. “But,” 

 

“But?”

 

“I don’t want to leave again, he didn’t speak to me for years, Yvette, I don’t know if I can go through that again,” 

 

“Same here, Vaughn,” Her voice goes quiet, the kind of quiet Vaughn never hears.

 

“I think I need to stay,” Vaughn says, and he begins to chuckle, “He might get himself killed if I’m not looking out for him again,” 

 

Yvette laughs, too.

 

“Take care of him, alright? But, more importantly, take care of yourself. I think I’d have to shoot myself if you went back to that weird bro phase,” 

 

“Will I ever get to live that down?” Vaughn asks, and Yvette laughs harder.

 

“Probably not,” She answers, “Listen, I’m tired, and you should head to bed, too. I’ve heard about that weird cult, they’re on Promethea, working with that gun company. I’m not in requisitions anymore, so I’m not gonna be able to help with that, but, if you need to talk, I’m here, alright?”

 

Vaughn smiles.

 

“Thanks, Yvette, I’ll let you get some rest,”

 

“Vaughn?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Say hi to him for me, alright?”

 

“You got it, Yvette,”

 

Vaughn hangs up, and the silence returns. Vaughn continues watching the city lights, flickering and flickering like stars.

 

There’s a memory that forces its way back into Vaughn’s head.

 

‘It’s you and me, bro,’ Rhys once said.

 

It’s a sentence that should make Vaughn feel hollow, like Rhys lied, but those words echoing in his mind make him feel safe, because it’s Rhys saying it. 

 

So, he returns to Rhys’s room, using the key he forgot to return, and once he realizes Rhys is still fast asleep, he slumps down onto the couch and shuts his eyes.

 

Rhys has blood-stained tape around his wrists, unwillingly dancing around the Hyperion yellow ballroom like some kind of puppet.

 

“Atlaswantedcontroloftheheavens,” The voice digging out of his temple says, it sounds like his teacher, and then it sounds like a monster, “Theweightoftheworldwashisretribution,”

It was a story Rhys read about a long time ago, in a classroom surrounded by children that pointed and laughed at the gangly boy with scraggly hair, the boy that made business cards because they made him feel important.

 

The digging in his temple continues, and Rhys can only laugh.

 

The man in the green suit pulls tighter on the tape, and Rhys lets him. 

 

“Baby, we’ll dance all night,” The man says, spinning Rhys around, “If you want to,” 

 

“I don’t want to be alone again,” Rhys says, dancing like a puppet on a string.

 

“You’re so funny,” The man says, twirling and twirling and twirling Rhys around. 

 

He smells like cheap hair gel. 

 

“It’s not you,” Rhys replies, eyes half-lidded, “I don’t want to be alone,” 

 

“I’ll make you feel special,” Hands all over him, hands all over him. “We’ll never fight again,”

 

The man in the green suit is his friend, he’s sure of that.

 

In the ballroom, Rhys can’t move, because he is a puppet on a string, and puppets don’t move. 

 

When Vaughn exists again, he holds a hand out to Rhys, dorky and bow tied, and scared of the world, and he’s ignoring the man in the green suit as he says, “Let’s get a drink and watch the sunset,” That’s something Vaughn said to him after the Traveler had been destroyed, and Vaughn had that kind-eyed look about him.

 

Rhys wants to take his hand, but Vaughn has to head home, because he has to be at work early in the morning. 

 

The man in the green suit lets go of the red tape keeping Rhys captive, and Rhys falls to the ground, and the burning in his temple becomes unbearable.

 

The ballroom isn’t a ballroom anymore, and it’s an office where the world burns around him. Everyone has left him, and he tells himself it’s okay, because he’ll be a big shot someday. 

 

His eye is gone.

 

“Letmeoutletmeoutletmeout,” The voice in his head says, finally digging its way out of Rhys’s wooden temple, reaching a hand out and screaming. “Youneedmeyouneedmeyouneedme,”

 

When Rhys wakes up, he’s panting as he pushes himself up, chest heaving heavily in a cold sweat. He touches his temple, fingers grazing the metallic port, and he sighs. 

 

He knows he’s alone again. 

 

He wipes his eyes, and rests his hand on his shoulder, staring down at nothing.

 

It’s okay, because he’s dealt with this before. He slowly, so slowly, creeps out of bed, passing by the mirror that taunts him each morning. He picks his arm up off the ground, holding it by its wrist, and he pushes the bedroom door open. He did the right thing, holding Vaughn’s hand so gently, telling him to go, it was the right thing. 

 

“Hey,” 

 

Rhys screams, high-pitched and terrified. He turns to face the couch, holding his prosthetic out like it’s some kind of weapon, and his eyes meet Vaughn’s, the flashdrive left on the coffee table. 

 

There’s a century of silence between them, and Rhys can’t help but stare. He blinks, sure that when he opens his eyes again, Vaughn’ll be gone. It doesn’t work, and after the third blink, Rhys forces himself to speak. 

 

“You’re still here,” He says, eyes wide. 

 

“Uh, yeah,” Vaughn says, “I am,”

 

“Why?” 

 

Vaughn looks at him with such an earnest face, wringing his hands together.

 

“I don’t know,” He answers, “I guess I felt like I had to,” 

 

“Oh,” Rhys replies, eyes wet and red. He turns away, so Vaughn won’t see that. “Uh, cool, that’s cool.” 

 

“Yeah,” Vaughn croaks, “Uh, your arm’s off,” 

 

When Vaughn gestures to Rhys’s prosthetic, still in Rhys’s grasp, Rhys makes a funny sound.

 

“Oh, crap, uh, yeah,” Rhys says, quickly taking a seat across from Vaughn, in the armchair.

 

Vaughn feels awkward watching Rhys attach his arm, not wanting to invade on Rhys’s privacy, whatever that means, so he averts his gaze.

 

“Uh,” Rhys stammers as he gives his shoulder a shove, jamming it in place as an indicator lights up. “It’s good to see you,” 

 

“Yeah,” Vaughn replies, turning back to Rhys. “You too, uh, I mean, it’s good to see you,” 

 

Rhys’s gaze falls to the coffee table, to the flashdrive, and then to the empty fruit-basket, nothing but skewers left.

 

“Did you seriously finish that entire thing?” Rhys asks, voice suddenly a little bit louder, and a little bit more Rhys. 

 

Vaughn shrugs. “It’s been awhile since I’ve eaten fruit,” He says, “On Pandora, I’ve been eating nothing but skag hearts and mysterious meat,” 

 

Rhys suddenly begins to laugh.

 

“That’s disgusting,” Rhys wheezes, “Hearts?” 

 

Vaughn shakes his head, laughing too. “I mean, it’s not too bad. It’s pretty good, actually,”

 

“That’s the grossest thing I’ve ever heard,” Rhys says, “Do you just eat it, or do you cook it, or, why am I even asking this?” 

 

Vaughn laughs harder. 

 

When silence fades back in, and Rhys’s eyes are back on that flashdrive, Vaughn follows his gaze, too.

 

“Thanks, uh, for helping me,” Vaughn mumbles, “I really appreciate it, Rhys,”

 

Rhys smiles, and Vaughn’s heart melts.

 

“It’s no problem, bro,” Rhys says, leaning back in his seat, waving Vaughn off, “It’s what I do,” 

 

Vaughn nods. “Well, I know Ellie’ll be happy,” He says, and Rhys gives him a look.

 

“So, uh, who is Ellie?” He asks, and Vaughn leans forward a bit, smiling.

 

“She’s a good friend. I’ve been living with her ever since Helios got,” 

 

Vaughn freezes, and his voice dies in his throat.

 

When he looks back up at Rhys, his mouth opens, and closes.

 

Rhys twiddles his thumbs, and he looks down, that problem-solving look on his face, the kind Vaughn always liked seeing before. 

 

“Vaughn, I don’t want you to lie to me, bro,” Rhys says, his brow furrowing as he meets Vaughn’s gaze. “What did I miss?” 

 

Vaughn shrinks.

 

His eyes slide shut, and he lets out a shaky breath. “Awhile ago, after you left for Promethea, this guy, Hector, attacked Pandora. It was after we just, sort of, stopped calling each other, and I didn’t want to bother you,” He shakes his head, “Crap, wait, anyways, uh, the Hector guy released this weird virus thing that turned people into plant-zombies,” 

 

Rhys’s eyes go wide.

 

“I was still leading the Children of Helios, they wanted to call themselves the Helios Hellions, but I always told them that name was so cheesy. I tried to save them, but,”

 

Balling his hands into tight fists, fingernails digging into his palm, he shuts his eyes.

 

“I couldn’t save them, and then I sort of went really crazy, like when we were in college and I was trying too hard to be cool, it was, uh, bad, but that’s when I saw Zer0 again, and their vault hunter friends, and Ellie, and uh, others,” 

 

Vaughn isn’t too sure what Rhys is thinking.

 

“Zer0 never told me,” Rhys finally says, voice like a broken whisper.

 

“I mean, they are cryptically mysterious,” Vaughn replies, trying to lighten the mood.

 

“I didn’t know,” 

 

“It’s okay, Rhys,” Vaughn says, “It was a long time ago,” 

 

“But,” Rhys stammers, but Vaughn stops him.

 

“Rhys,” He strains, “Please,”

 

Defeated, Rhys slouches, head lowering.

 

They’re sitting so close to each other, yet for the moment, they’re lightyears apart.

 

Vaughn’s the one who speaks first.

 

“After that, I just sort of, followed Ellie around. Guess you could call me an accidental womanizer, both Ellie and Moxxi, uh, you don’t know her, were really, really into me. Don’t know why, I was really weird back then, but nothing ever came of that. I didn’t,” 

 

When Vaughn’s voice trails off, Rhys looks at him.

 

“Why didn’t you?” 

 

“I don’t know. It didn’t feel right, I guess. I’ve been living with her ever since. I keep the bandits off her back, so I guess you could say she’s my boss,” 

 

“I’m glad you, uh, y’know. Weren’t alone.” 

 

“Yeah!” Vaughn blurts out, “I’ve got, uh, a lot of friends over on Pandora.”

 

“It’d be cool if I could meet them,” Rhys mumbles, that conflicted look on his face. “I can’t leave my company, though,” 

 

“Yeah, I know,” Vaughn says, sighing. “You deserve a break, Rhys,”

 

“Maybe,” Rhys says, “But,” He suddenly rises from his seat. “At this rate, the only way I’ll be getting a break is if I give into Katagawa’s demands, which, y’know, I’m not doing,”

 

“Well,” Vaughn says, rising from his seat as well, “Just, y’know, don’t overwork yourself, bro,” 

 

Rhys nods.

 

“I’ll try not to,” He says, and escapes back into his bedroom.

 

Vaughn takes the flashdrive back into his grasp, and after a second of hesitation, places it into his bag. 

 

When Rhys returns, his hair is slicked back, and he’s tightening his tie formally. 

 

“We have a war to win,” Rhys says, giving Vaughn a smile. 

 

As Vaughn holsters his sniper rifle, and he adjusts his vest, he gives Rhys a nod.

 

“Lead the way,”

 

By the time they’re out of the building and on the street, Rhys is already in a call, telling some poor schmuck off. 

 

Through Meridian, to the tall skyscraper Rhys calls HQ, Vaughn finds that the bandits ransacking the city scurry off once they catch his eye. 

 

Rhys ends up hanging up on Timothy once he asks him about raising his payment. Once he does that, he gestures for Vaughn to follow after him faster. 

 

“Sorry about that, I get a lot of calls,” Rhys says, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

 

Shrugging, Vaughn replies, “Don’t worry about it, Mr. All Powerful CEO, sir,” 

 

Rhys snickers and gently elbows Vaughn, “Very funny, you should be a comedian,”

 

“Maybe if this bandit thing doesn’t work out,” Vaughn replies as he adjusts the goggles on his head, “I’ll make a living off of telling horrible jokes,”

 

“I’d sell my company if it meant I’d get to see that,” 

 

For a moment, Rhys and Vaughn are back to normal. When Rhys turns to Vaughn, Vaughn is laughing, that kind, goofy smile on his face. It’s a look that tells Rhys it’ll be okay, because they’re together again, it’s Rhys and Vaughn; the data-miner and the accountant, not Rhys and Vaughn; the CEO and the bandit. The laughter escaping Vaughn is a reminder to Rhys, that beneath that newfound confidence, the strength, the deadliness, Vaughn is still Vaughn, and at that thought, coupled with the fact that Vaughn decided to stay, it’s an overwhelming feeling that twists knots in Rhys’s gut.

 

Rhys feels okay, and the smile on his face is genuine.

 

So, Vaughn follows him through the ground floor of Atlas’s headquarters, past the finger guns and greetings, up the elevator, and into Rhys’s office, and through all of that, Vaughn and Rhys babble and babble just like they used to.

 

Rhys sits in his intimidating office chair, and Vaughn sits across from him in a rather comfortable armchair. 

 

“You should try out our new guns,” Rhys eventually says, rocking his chair from side to side, “They’re pretty sweet,”

 

“Oh,” Vaughn replies, intrigued by the offer, “That’s pretty tempting.”

 

Grinning, Rhys scoots his chair in closer and rests his elbows on desk, practically talking with his hands as he continues blabbering, “Okay, so, one of the things we’ve been trying out is bullets that track your targets, so, like, your targets really fast, and you keep missing your shots, well, just shoot your target once with the tracking device, and all of the following bullets will immediately go to where you’ve specified,” Rhys has that lopsided grin again, the one that makes Vaughn’s heart skip, “Boom! Instant success, it’s pretty awesome, Vaughn,” 

 

Despite Rhys’s energetic happiness, Vaughn can’t help but tease, “Is this because you couldn’t shoot a gun to save your life?”

 

Rhys holds a hand to his chest as he gasps, “That’s cruel,” He hisses, “Here I was, excited out of my mind, and then you ruin it,”

 

Vaughn begins to laugh.

 

“Sorry, Rhys,” He wheezes, “I’m only playing,”

 

But, Rhys doesn’t let up, “This is the saddest moment of my life,” He says, leaning back in his seat, “The ultimate betrayal, I think I might have you assassinated,”

 

Vaughn throws his head back, letting out an even louder cacophony of laughter.

 

Rhys finds that he can’t keep the fake seriousness up, and he begins to giggle too. 

 

“You suck,” Rhys snorts, “I mean that,”

 

“I won’t deny that,” Vaughn replies, shaking his head, “But the look on your face is absolutely priceless,” 

 

Rhys rolls his eyes as he parrots Vaughn’s words back to him in a mocking tone.

 

Vaughn scoots his chair a tiny bit closer, and he remembers last night.

 

“Hey!” He blurts out, “Uh, last night, I called Yvette,”

 

Rhys takes in those words one by one, and when he gets to the name on Vaughn’s lips, his eyes go wide.

 

He’s really missed Yvette. 

 

He actually begins to smile. 

 

“Holy crap, Yvette?” He asks, pressing his palms against the desk, lifting himself off the chair just a bit, “Is she doing alright? Where is she?”

 

Rhys is going so fast. Vaughn can barely keep up, so he hushes him.

 

“Calm down,” Vaughn intervenes, chuckling lightly, “She’s doing fine, she’s with the Crimson Raiders, though I think she’s just there for the free food,”

 

There’s a shine in Rhys’s eye, hopeful and kind and sweet, and it makes Vaughn’s smile grow a tiny bit wider.

 

“She said hi, and she thinks your mustache sucks,”

 

Rhys’s hand goes to his lip, and for a moment, his face is dead serious.

 

And then he laughs.

 

“She hasn’t changed a bit,” He says, grinning. 

 

For some reason, Rhys can’t find it in himself to be sad, to beat himself up over years and years of silence, and he’s certain that it’s because of the sun standing in his office right now.

 

“We should talk to her when we head back to your room,” Vaughn replies.

 

“I,” Rhys pauses, “I’d really like that,”

 

As if on cue to ruin the moment, Rhys gets a call. 

 

“Ah,” He groans, “Seriously?” 

 

Vaughn raises a brow, “Who is it?” 

 

Rhys lets out a sigh, “It’s Katagawa, here to ruin the day, of course!”

 

“Put him on speaker,” Vaughn asks, “I wanna hear his reaction when I tell him his guns are super lackluster,” 

 

Rhys covers his mouth so he doesn’t laugh.

 

So, Rhys answers the call.

 

“Have you called to let me know your finally giving up, and also to say I’m the best gun manufacturer on Promethea?” Rhys asks, resting his chin on the back of his hand, “If not, hang up, and then die,”

 

Vaughn snickers.

 

“Catty,” Katagawa answers, putting on a low voice, and Vaughn’s sure he’s wearing a shit-eating smirk on his face, “That’s no way to speak to your friend,” 

 

“Yeah, uh, hate to burst your bubble,” Rhys says, tilting his head to the side, “But, we’re not friends, and never were,” 

 

“Oh, we’re friends, Strongfork, good friends,” Katagawa replies, “You just don’t know it yet,”

 

“Oh my god,” Vaughn speaks up, “That is so freaking creepy, who says that?”

 

Katagawa makes a surprised kind of sound as he realizes Rhys isn’t alone.

 

“Hello, Vaughn,” Katagawa greets, and Rhys and Vaughn exchange a glance, “Glad to see you and Rhys are still on good terms,” 

 

Vaughn notices Rhys tense up for just a moment. 

 

“Yeah, uh,” Vaughn says, leaning forward a bit, “We’re cool, thanks for checking in, and, as somebody who kills a lot of people, I think your gun’s ammo capacity sucks super hard, so maybe you should work on that instead of calling my bro over and over again like some creepy stalker ex,” 

 

Katagawa’s silent for a moment.

 

In that silence, Rhys hides the huge grin on his face with his hand. 

 

“Oh my god,” Rhys whispers, shaking as he quietly laughs, “That was brutal,” 

 

“Aw,” Katagawa coos, “He thinks he’s hurting my feelings. That’s real cute, Vaughn. I’d be surprised if you stayed that loyal to him once you knew what’s in his trophy case,”

 

“What?” Vaughn asks, and then he looks at Rhys.

 

He has no right using _him_ against Rhys, using _him_ like some kind of dirty laundry that’ll somehow turn Vaughn against him.

 

“Shut up,” Rhys snaps, using a tone of voice Vaughn’s never heard.

 

Everything stops.

 

“Did I strike a nerve?” Katagawa hums, “Sorry, ‘ _kiddo_ ’,”

 

The name on Katagawa’s tongue is filled with such vitriol, and it forces Rhys back into a burning office, ripping himself apart bit by bit to keep the monster at bay.

 

A long time ago, when Rhys believed the two were friends, and Rhys was particularly drunk, he would spill everything on his mind, and all Katagawa had to do was ask. Rhys had a lot to say about Handsome Jack, because Handsome Jack, even dead, dug his fingers made of coding and control into Rhys, and the scars still remain.

 

Rhys’s eyes go wide.

 

“TTYL,” Katagawa says, and laughs like the monster that Rhys knows is dead.

 

Katagawa hangs up, and the two are left in silence.

 

Vaughn scoots his chair closer, and Rhys averts his gaze, hanging his head low. 

 

Vaughn isn’t too sure what to think. He knows that Katagawa gets a kick out of getting under Rhys’s skin, yet this isn’t that, Katagawa struck a certain chord, one that made Rhys shrivel away, whether out of shame, or humiliation, or fear, or whatever, Vaughn’s not sure.

 

“Rhys?” Vaughn asks, voice gentle, “What did he mean?”

 

Rhys silently gestures to the large cabinet off to the side, all the lights that should be on are off. 

 

“When,” Rhys stutters, “Helios crashed, and Fiona and Sasha had to destroy Gortys, I,” He sighs, “I was in Jack’s office, or what was left of it, and I stopped him,” 

 

Vaughn’s up on his feet, and he approaches the case.

 

“I had to take out my cybernetics,” Rhys has an audible shake in his voice, “Which sucked, really bad, god, it hurt, but I had to, or,” He doesn’t finish the sentence.

 

There’s a light switch by the cabinet, so Vaughn flicks it, and it comes to life.

 

“I’ve kept him with me for years,”

 

Vaughn stares back at the blue eye resting on the top shelf.

 

“Woah,” 

 

So, the legacy of Handsome Jack ends in the office of the CEO of a company he tried to destroy. 

 

Vaughn never asked why Rhys had a golden eye instead of blue, and he didn’t ask why he hid his replacement arm with the sleeve of his shirt, because Rhys never asked him about his long hair, nor did he ask about the many scars that Vaughn had accumulated. It wasn’t his place to ask.

 

Rhys’s arm was left impaled in the debris, cold and unfeeling, the light powering it still blinking blue, and after searching, his port was located as well, bloodied and thrown out like garbage, yet the eye never showed up, and now Vaughn knows why. 

 

Vaughn is looking at Handsome Jack, and the last thing he can call his own, and that thought sends shivers through his spine. Rhys had this in his eye, Rhys had to listen to everything Handsome Jack ever said, Rhys had to pull himself apart to survive, and Vaughn had never realized it.

 

Now, in this moment, Vaughn remembers one of the first things he said to Rhys after Rhys told him of the man inside his head.

 

‘Of all the people Handsome Jack could be appearing to,’ He said, ‘It happens to be the guy who’s totally obsessed with him,’

 

Vaughn looks back at Rhys, and the look on his face destroys Vaughn. 

 

“I don’t blame you if you’re mad,” Rhys croaks, “I mean, why didn’t I destroy him, I mean, even I don’t know why,”

 

Vaughn takes a step closer to Rhys. The devastation Rhys wears on his face is one of the worst things Vaughn has ever seen. 

 

Rhys watches Vaughn open his arms.

 

“I don’t really know what to say, but I’m definitely not angry,” Vaughn replies, “You look super sad right now, and it’s making me sad, so, hug?”

 

Rhys is out of his chair in an instant. 

 

Vaughn has to stand on the tips of his toes, and Rhys has to bend down awkwardly, but when they finally wrap their arms around each other, all is right in the world. Vaughn’s reminded of the Atlas facility, the one where Cassius hid in, and when Rhys told him he’d never be left behind again. 

 

Vaughn somewhat hopes Handsome Jack is still awake, trapped in that eye, forced to watch things change for the better.

 

Rhys hopes Handsome Jack is suffering.

 

Rhys pulls Vaughn closer, as if it’s the last time he’ll get the chance. 

 

“Thanks, Vaughn,” Rhys eventually mumbles.

 

“It’s no problem, Rhys,” Vaughn replies, smiling, “It’s you and me,”

 

Rhys sharply inhales, and he squeezes his eyes shut, because that really gets to him. 

 

He’s happy, because he has his bro, yet there’s an underlying feeling, one that he won’t ever admit, he’s yearning for something more, and he’s not sure what that means.

 

It’s a knot in his stomach, a little tiny knot that tell him to hold on, to never let go of him ever again, a knot that tells him to blur the lines between bro, and love, and it twists and twists, and it makes him let go out of confusion, so he puts on that smile, like there is no tornado in his brain, that it’s just a hug between friends, but he yearns, and he doesn’t know what it means.

 

So, he lets go.

 

“Yeah, okay, I’m gonna cry if we keep hugging,” Rhys wheezes as he slowly pulls back from the hug, and he finds that the feeling digs its claws into him, so he forces it away.

 

“Oof,” Vaughn answers, hands dropping to his sides, “If you cry, I’ll cry,”

 

Rhys smiles. 

 

“I, uh, I have to get to meetings, and I have a feeling you’d shoot yourself before you ever walked into another meeting, so,”

 

Vaughn’s a bit confused by his sudden shift, but he takes a step back and nods.

 

“God, no, if I ever have to wear a bow tie again, I’ll die. Yeah, you’re on your own with that. I’ll, uh, do bandit things, maybe rob a few stores, start a couple gang wars,” 

 

Rhys snorts.

 

“Sounds like a plan, just make sure you’re fighting Maliwan, and not my guys,” 

 

So, Vaughn takes another step back, “Were they the green guys, or the red guys, I can’t remember,” 

 

“Vaughn,” Rhys warns, exaggerating a glare.

 

“I’m kidding, kidding, good luck at your meetings, bro,” 

 

Vaughn watches Rhys project something from his palm, but he’s not too sure what it is. Rhys begins to stare at it, and with his human hand, he waves Vaughn off.

 

“Yeah, see you later, bro,” 

 

So, Vaughn leaves confused, and Rhys closes his fist, not actually staring at anything important.

 

Rhys lets out a long, deep sigh, and he looks back up at the trophy case, at the eye at the top, and he glares up at it. In another time, Rhys would be looking up at him with awe, not disgust.

 

“How’s it feel to be stuck in a shelf,” He asks to noone, “Pretty bad, huh?” 

 

He rubs at his face, turning back around towards the door. 

 

Something undefined remains in Rhys, the thing that blurs bro and love, the thing that tells him not to let go again, and he forces it away again. He makes himself remember the stare Vaughn gave him the first time they saw each other again, that vacant, wide-eyed look like Vaughn had no idea who he was. For a fleeting, kind moment, everything was fine, because they were together, but the moment died when that feeling settled itself in Rhys, blurring bro and love together. 

 

So Rhys sits down in the office chair that’s too large for his lanky frame, and he keeps rubbing at his face, running his fingers through his hair nervously, and then doing it again, the fresh coat of gel smearing itself against his palms. 

 

He leans forward, and leans more, and eventually his head meets the desk, and he shuts his eyes, hiding the red dusted across his cheeks with his arms. 

 

As Vaughn steps outside Rhys’s office, he knows Rhys doesn’t have meetings, because he knows Rhys, knows each and every expression on his face, and the thin-lipped smile and twitching brow says liar in big bold capitals. He knows Rhys is lying to him, but he takes into account the sudden shock to Rhys, remembering the destruction of a smile into devastation the moment Katagawa spoke. Rhys has lied to him before, about worse things, so he isn’t angry, he could never be truly angry, because Rhys is Rhys.

 

Walking past the secretary’s desk, Vaughn notices a fruit-basket, and without asking, he takes it on his way out, and the secretary doesn’t say anything, because she is sick of fruit-baskets. 

 

Vaughn finds Lorelei at the ground floor shoving supply crates into the arms of Atlas soldiers, bossing them around as a commander should. 

 

The first thing she does when Vaughn approaches her is stare at the fruit-basket.

 

“Are you stealing gifts now?” She asks, “Aren’t you a little thief,”

 

Vaughn laughs.

 

“Yeah, I suck, really. My bandit-ness knows no bounds,” 

 

As she shoves the last crate into the arms of a scrawny worker, who nearly falls with the box due to the weight, Lorelei turns to Vaughn completely and takes the small note sticking out of the basket, opening it up and sneering.

 

“‘Let's be friends,’” She recites, “‘No hard feelings, love Maliwan,’” 

 

“God, that guy is creepy,” Vaughn groans, “Why can’t you just kill him,” 

 

“Believe me,” Lorelei replies, throwing the note behind her, “I’d love to stick my boot up his arse, but Rhys always pulls that ‘red tape’ shit,” She puts on a fake voice as she begins to walk towards the sliding doors to the outside, and Vaughn follows her, “Oh, Lorelei, you can’t kill a Maliwan executive, you’ll just screw us over, who cares if we’re getting stomped out there, let’s just lay down so they can stomp us harder,” 

 

As Vaughn walks with her, he recalls their Hyperion days, all the times Rhys would say ‘We’re going to rule this place,’ like he had a chance. 

 

“Well, you’ve survived this long, so I guess something’s working out,” Vaughn muses, and Lorelei gives him a funny look.

 

“We’re barely scraping by, if you haven’t noticed,” She answers, folding her arms across her chest, and then she gets a call, “Oh, speak of the devil, it’s Rhys,”

 

“Oh,” Is all Vaughn says in response.

 

So, she holds two fingers up to her ear, greeting Rhys before getting his voice jammed into her ear. Vaughn can’t hear anything but muffled ranting. He distances himself just a bit, not wanting to disturb the commander’s call with the general. Vaughn spends the time eating fruit off of skewers. 

 

Lorelei’s eyes dart to Vaughn, her brow furrowing, and Vaughn barely catches it as she averts her gaze. “Uh huh,” She hums, “Yeah, alright, shut up, I heard you,” 

 

Vaughn offers her a fruit-kabob from the basket. 

 

So she takes it, mouthing a thank you, and she bites off the first bit of fruit, speaking while chewing as she says, “Okay, I’ve got it, Rhys. Cheers,” 

 

She hangs up on a still talking Rhys, and shoots Vaughn a glance as she continues eating off the kabob. “No rest for the wicked,” She muses, gesturing towards the door, “You’ve got business with the Catch-a-Rides, right?” 

 

Vaughn opens his mouth, and then closes it again, his face twisting in confusion. “Uh, yeah?” He answers. 

 

“Rhys asked me to help you out with that,” She explains, leading Vaughn out of the sliding doors, “Said you have a drive thing,” 

 

“Drive thing,” He ponders, and then nearly drops his basket, as he realizes what she means, “Oh, yeah, I do,”

 

Something uneasy settles in Vaughn once Lorelei says that, knowing that strange glance she gave him for a split second, knowing the way Rhys brushed him off the moment he had the chance.

 

It’s the same anxiety that filled him in that Atlas facility, not wanting to be left behind, because the nerd always gets left behind, the same anxiety that overtook him as he watched Helios fall like a meteor shower, escape pod by escape pod, hoping that somehow, he’d be in one of them, the same anxiety that’s telling him right now that ‘he has left you behind,’ cast aside like a doll a child grew tired of. All of this twists around in him, he plays Yvette’s voice in his head to reassure him as he shoves more fruit into his mouth, masking the incessant counting he does when he’s nervous. 

 

Lorelei watches him shove fruit into his mouth, her mouth open as she lets out a long “Uh,”

 

Vaughn’s face goes red as he sees her staring at him, and he swallows all the fruit down, averting his gaze from her and nearly choking.

 

“Yeah,” He blurts out, forcing a laugh, “We can go deal with that right now,” 

 

“Alright,” She replies, her tone uneasy and questioning, but she doesn’t pry. 

 

He decided to stay, that was his choice. The logical side of Vaughn says that Rhys wishes to help, because they are friends, and that’s what friends do, nothing more, nothing less, and there’s the other side of Vaughn, the one that destroyed his rationality when Hector attacked, the side that tells him Rhys wants to get rid of him.

 

He forces himself to replay Yvette’s voice again and again. Rhys is still Rhys, and Vaughn is still Vaughn, and nothing can change that, but Rhys is still Rhys, and Vaughn is still Vaughn, Rhys is the one that’s an emotional grenade, the heart on his sleeve acting as the pin to be pulled, and Vaughn’s the one that hides behind big glasses and bigger numbers, shielding himself with his smarts, because that’s how the little guy survives. 

 

Rhys is still Rhys, and Vaughn is still Vaughn, it’s a double-edged sword made of names.

 

But, Vaughn persists, replaying Yvette like a video on loop, because that’s how he’ll keep that side of him quiet. 

 

Vaughn follows Lorelei, the oversized fruit-basket in his arms, unusually quiet. 

 

“Keep him busy,” Rhys told her, “Help him with the Catch-a-Rides, or something,” 

 

She hung up on him, and now Rhys continues to sit in his office.

 

In an email, he tells the engineer down in R&D to work on shields rather than those experimental shock weapons they wanted to give a try, in another he tells the nice girl he put in charge of the Bio dome back on Pandora to invest in better security, and in another he tells a confused, weird guy that no, Atlas does not sell _that_ anymore, and he should look somewhere else.

 

All of that in the short amount of time Vaughn has been gone.

 

He drags a hand down his face, huffing out a breath as he pushes his chair back, rolling away from his desk. 

 

Rhys finally does push himself out of his seat, adjusting his tie as he shoos away the sinking feeling of his office caving in on him.

 

“Yeah, I’m going crazy,” He tells himself, pacing out of the room a little too quickly. 

 

He doesn’t say anything to Abigail on the way out, despite her surprised look as she says, “Oh, hello, Rhys,” 

 

He doesn’t say anything to the two guards practicing their secret handshake. 

 

He steps into the elevator, and he presses his back against the furthest corner after he hits the button to the ground floor, his hands in his pockets.

 

Something told him to stay with Vaughn, to not let go again, so he pushes instead of pulls, the strange feeling being too much, so he destroys the root of the problem, doing what he should’ve done when Vaughn first stepped into his office, turning friendship into business, helping him so Vaughn can make the feeling go away by leaving. It’s how he’s dealt with everything, by turning himself into villain, the CEO, and not a friend. He can glare all he wants, he can push, and push, and push that feeling down, but as long as Vaughn continues smiling like that, it’ll never go away. Rhys has to be the emotionally detached CEO, he can’t let the word ‘friend’ escape his lips again, because friend becomes blackmail, becomes kidnappee, becomes control. There are a lot of swords pointed at Rhys’s throat, and he won’t let the pointed ends change targets in an attempt to sway Rhys to their sides. Rhys is Atlas, the name meaning aloneness. Rhys has soldiers, Rhys has commanders, Rhys has bodyguards, but Rhys does not have friends, because friends can easily be taken, can easily be used as bargaining. 

 

Yet, Rhys misses the warmth of Vaughn’s hug, and he’s yearning for something more, and he doesn’t know what it means, because Vaughn deserves more than that.

 

Vaughn should be on Pandora, not on Promethea, where each ding of the next passing floor in the elevator brings Rhys closer and closer, and not farther and farther. 

 

Yes, Rhys is going back on his happiness, going back on that fleeting moment of pure bliss, going back to that aloofness instead of love, but he thinks it’s the best thing to do, because it stings a little less than thinking about what could happen if Rhys said ‘Stay,’ 

 

This is where he’d shake hands with the poison named Jack in complete agreement.

 

Stay alone, stay alone, in fear of what might happen if he doesn’t.

 

So, he steps onto the ground floor, bumping against the several scientists barreling past to get into the elevator, carrying blueprints in their arms. 

 

He’s stopped before he can make his escape, as he should be, since it’s his job to blabber with employees. So, he accepts his fate, and asks what he can do to help, and is quickly escorted by a group of engineers to show off their newest prototype.

 

“Are you doing alright?” Lorelei finally asks as she leans against the Catch-a-Ride system, eyeing Vaughn as he’s crouched down low, “You’ve been weirdly quiet,” 

 

“Hm?” Vaughn hums as he opens up a small latch to reveal several kinds of outlets, “Oh, I’m fine,” 

 

“You sure about that?” She prods, and then stares at the empty basket at his side.

 

Vaughn doesn’t reply, and he slowly retrieves the flash drive from his pocket, reading and rereading ‘Rhys Wins’ on the top of the device in white marker, ‘Rhys Wins’. 

 

He remembers when Rhys first named it that, his code, his creation, it was made to expose, and now the name has been passed onto something to protect. 

 

So, Vaughn plugs it into the machine and stands back up, eyes on the screen. 

 

Firewall enabled, the screen reads, copying to surrounding devices. 

 

There’s a sprite hovering above those words, a pixel-ly magenta arm giving Vaughn a thumbs up, bobbing up and down, and Vaughn finds himself smiling, only Rhys would find the time to add something so small, so stupid as a thumbs up telling him that ‘Yes, it is installing,’ 

 

It should be more difficult, Vaughn thinks, but it’s not. With that, Vaughn’s job on Promethea is finished in only a few seconds. He knows Ellie probably has a smile on her face knowing nothing’ll mess with Scooter’s legacy on Promethea ever again. 

 

“Is that it, then?” Lorelei asks, leaning in to watch the screen.

 

“Yeah,” He answers, voice so gentle and quiet, “That’s it,”

 

He looks at her, and she smiles, giving Vaughn a pat on the shoulder as she says, “Aces,” 

 

“Damn,” He says so vacantly, “I have no idea what to do with my life now,” 

 

“How do you mean?” She asks, watching Vaughn turn around, walk, and then sit down on the curb of the roadblock covered road. 

 

He doesn’t notice her join him, but when he looks over to his side, there she is sitting next to him.

 

“When I was an accountant,”

 

“You were an accountant?” 

 

Vaughn glares at her. 

 

“Right, sorry, you were saying?”

 

Vaughn sighs, and slouches down. 

 

“When I was an accountant back on Helios, I always had something to do, and now that I’ve done my one job here, I,” He rests his elbow on his knee, and cups his face. “Have nothing left to do, I mean, I’ve basically spent the last few years leeching off of my friend, what do I do now?” 

 

Lorelei gives him a funny look.

 

“That whole bandit thing not working out for you, or something?” 

 

Vaughn rolls his eyes.

 

“Gonna be honest here, I’m a pretty bad bandit. I guess,” He hesitates, but continues regardless, “I thought I was going to end up staying here, or something,” 

 

“You could join up with Atlas, if you’re feeling it,” 

 

Vaughn shakes his head, “I am never going back to corporate life,” 

 

“Well, Promethea’s nothing but corporate, so why stay if you don’t like it?” 

 

“I don’t know,” He does know. 

 

“You need to figure yourself out, Vaughn,” Lorelei says, “You’re more confusing than the boss,” 

 

Vaughn realizes he doesn’t want to brood like some jackass, so he readjusts his posture, and looks up at the sky. He’ll figure everything out later he decides. 

 

“You know, way back when,” He’s picking a random memory in his cavalcade, “Rhys and I played Bunkers and Badasses in college,” 

 

“Isn’t that that game for nerds with the dragons?” Lorelei asks, and Vaughn snorts.

 

“Yeah, that’s the one. I was the dungeon master. I have no idea how, but I still remember Rhys’s character,” 

 

“Oh, this’ll be good,” Lorelei hums, getting that cheeky smile on her face, “Let’s hear it,” 

 

“He was a bard,” Vaughn begins, “And he wrote his character to be this master charmer, who was loved all over the land, but he always failed every dice roll, so he sucked pretty hard,” 

 

Lorelei begins to laugh, hiding a grin with her hand, “Seriously?” 

 

“He stopped playing after a while because I was probably too hard on him,” He scratches his chin, “That, and Monopoly, but I always cheated, so it wasn’t really fair, but man, was it fun,” 

 

“Good god, you’re evil,” 

 

“Thank you,” Vaughn replies, a smile on his lips, “But, yeah, Rhys and I, we’ve been through a lot together. I guess I just don’t want to lose Rhys again, but I think he’s basically trying to get rid of me,” 

 

“Maybe,” Lorelei answers nonchalantly, “I’d try to get rid of you too, if I had to stand around a weirdly buff guy for hours a day. Maybe you’ve awakened something in him,” 

 

“Lorelei, you’re the worst,” Vaughn deadpans, but he ends up adjusting his vest anyways. 

 

“Whatever you say, tough guy,” Lorelei remarks, and lifts a fist up, “I think you owe me something,” 

 

Vaughn rolls his eyes, but he ends up returning the gesture, bumping their fists together lightly.

 

“You’re lucky I keep my word,”

 

 

 

“Don’t touch that,” A scientist warns, gesturing towards a very touchable object on a display table. Rhys doesn’t notice the small electric charges flickering around it.

 

Rhys touches it, and it shocks him. The scientist is unimpressed.

 

“Ow,” Rhys hisses, holding his hand in the other, “Put a warning label or something,” 

 

The scientist points towards a warning label underneath the object.

 

“Oh,” Rhys replies, “Okay, my fault, then,”

 

Adjusting their glasses, the scientist continues, “What you just touched is a prototype shield, Mr. Strongfork. It’s still in early development,” 

 

“If it’s a shield, why did it shock me?” 

 

“Because you’re not wearing it, and it sees you as a threat, sir,” 

 

“Oh, have you tested, like, actually wearing it?” 

 

“Yes, sir, and the subject was shocked unconscious, but that won’t happen again,” 

 

“Uh, good work?” Rhys says, giving a thumbs up. “Am I free to go now? Super busy, y’know,” 

 

The scientist’s tone is continuously dead and dry, Rhys notes. 

 

As they adjust their glasses again, they continue, “Too busy to see the success of your own company, and make sure your employees are doing their jobs, sir?” 

 

Rhys glares.

 

“That’s super uncalled for,” He replies, “I watch my employees carefully,”

 

Unphased, the scientist points a thumb behind them, “Steven built a death ray and is currently trying to kill Dave for stealing his sandwich, sir,” 

 

“Wait, what?”

 

“The soldiers are detaining Steven and the death ray right now, sir,” 

 

“And the death ray?” 

 

“The gun gained consciousness a couple hours ago and wished to marry the coffee machine, sir,” 

 

Rhys feels like he’s about to have a stroke. 

 

“Okay, what else have I missed?” He asks, exasperated and suddenly tired.

 

“You missed Evelyn’s birthday, sir, her wife gifted her a kitten, it was very heartwarming,” 

 

“Oh,” 

 

“Also, there are currently three known Maliwan spies in Atlas facilities, but they are not good spies, because they are simply robots wearing suits. It’s not very convincing, but the workers took pity on them and let them stay. There is currently a security breach because of this, sir,”

 

Rhys is definitely going to have a stroke now. 

 

“Okay, thank you, Mabel,” He strains, pinching the bridge of his nose, “This is a really crappy day,” 

 

Mabel continues their dead tone, “Same here, sir, ever since you came in,”

 

“Is it bully your boss day?” He asks, looking over to other employees for an answer they don’t give because they’re not paying attention to him, “Yeah, uh, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I can fire you, so, maybe don’t do,” He remarks, gesturing to them with a wave of his hand, “That,” 

 

“Of course, sir. It is also my coffee break now, so I am leaving.” 

 

“Okay, yeah, sure, that’s fine,” Rhys hisses, crossing his arms like a whiny child. “I’ll go do other important stuff, since I’m the boss, and all,”

 

“Of course, sir,” Mabel answers, shrugging their coat off and leaving it resting on the nearest chair, leaving Rhys in a sea of lab coats. 

 

Before leaving, in an act of defiance, Rhys touches the shield again, and again, it shocks him, and the sea of lab coats continue to not pay attention to him, because they have better things to do. 

 


	7. The Kiss That Neither Party Meant,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally gave my friend james editing abilities and i swear to god if you find anything ridiculous in this chapter its him and i didnt catch him im gonna kill him

Vaughn’s back in Rhys’s apartment, sitting on the couch he calls home, because it’s the only place he knows. 

 

He discards his vest somewhere else, he’s not too sure, and he throws his goggles onto the coffee table, finally giving a huff as he throws himself onto the couch, slinging his arm across his eyes. 

 

There’s a lot of different things he could be thinking right now, he could stress over Ellie, he could think about Yvette, or he could think of the strange, hollow feeling he gets when he thinks of Rhys, and the state of their relationship.

 

However, he thinks of none of those things. It’s a memory that crosses his mind, back on Pandora, under a purple sky, on the back of a truck.

 

‘You make a break for it as soon as you can,’ Rhys told him, ‘It’s got nothing to do with collateral, it’s, it’s about keeping you safe,’ The truck ran over a rock, so both of them bounce a little, ‘So,’ Rhys continued, and Vaughn simply watched, ‘Be careful,’ 

 

Rhys’s tone was something Vaughn never thought about, but now that he thinks about it now, the absolute worry in Rhys’s voice, coupled with that troubled look on his face that made it look like it hurt to say every word to Vaughn.

 

It makes Vaughn think.

 

‘Okay,’ Vaughn answered him, and the amount of relief that Vaughn could see on Rhys’s face made Vaughn feel like they were going to get out of it together. 

 

Vaughn remembers his face hurting during that conversation, and he remembers how badly his shirt had been stained from the blood seeping from his side.

 

‘We’ll find you after we get the piece,’ Rhys told him, and Vaughn smiled.

 

Vaughn remembers all the faith he put in Rhys, the way he looked up to him, the absolute adoration that he had for Rhys, he was the brave one, the cool one, the one that could walk through hell and not even break a sweat, because he was Rhys.

 

‘I know you will,’ Vaughn said, and he never doubted it for a second. 

 

And now, here he is, laying on Rhys’s couch, definitely doubting everything he’s ever known. 

 

There was a time back in college where Vaughn was hopelessly in love with Rhys, or maybe love is too strong of a word, Vaughn’s not too sure. It was definitely a crush, a crush that carried into their Hyperion days, much to his denial. Vaughn never really acted on his crush, and Rhys never knew, and he doesn’t know now. Maybe that’s a good thing, Vaughn thinks, that Rhys doesn’t know. It’d be a friendship ruiner for sure, if they are friends now. Vaughn’s not sure what to do now that he’s finally facing it. 

 

Lorelei’s no help anyways, as Vaughn recalls her words not too long ago, ‘Man crush,’ she called it, the way Rhys supposedly looked at Vaughn. In all honesty, Vaughn has no idea what she’s talking about, because the only thing Vaughn has seen on Rhys’s face is a strained smile with a side of superficial ego. 

 

But, Rhys doesn’t want Vaughn on Promethea, it seems, being the one to rush Vaughn’s mission to completion. Vaughn’s not even sure if he’s even welcomed in Rhys’s apartment. To be fair, however, bandits usually never are welcomed in the place they call home. 

 

He thinks about calling Ellie, if the service allows it, but he decides against it. He’s sick of watching his friends play therapist for his weird, depressing thoughts, so Vaughn sits in silence. 

 

Until he grows tired of that. 

 

He spent too much time sitting in an office chair crunching numbers, sitting still for too long isn’t his forte anymore. 

 

So, Vaughn gets up, and he wanders.

 

The first thing he realizes as he finally analyzes Rhys’s apartment is that it’s very small for a CEO. It’s certainly better than their apartment back on Helios, he has to admit, but it isn’t very penthouse-y. It’s the opposite of the sort of thing he’d expect from Rhys, the guy that had a thousand ideas of what he’d do when he got rich. The second thing he realizes is that his apartment is very dark, the few lights actually on casting a blue light. 

 

So, Vaughn turns a lamp on, and then he turns the kitchen light on, and then he’s looking at the large curtain off to the side, and then he’s pulling it aside to reveal the floor-to-ceiling length window to Meridian. 

 

It’s looking a bit more penthouse-y when Vaughn does that, and he finds himself staring a bit too long at the city, at the evacuation lights blinking below. It’s still the same view he saw on the roof last night, and maybe it’s not as impressive through a window, but it is still a nice view. He wonders why Rhys kept it hidden all this time.

 

Vaughn finally notices all the little details in the room, the small decorations left dusty and untouched on a bookshelf with a whole lot of everything but books, empty picture frames and tiny ceramic cats that seem more like gifts than something Rhys would actually buy. It’s rather sad, Vaughn admits, how untouched the apartment really is, comparing it to the apartment they shared a long time ago, with dirty laundry, plates, empty pizza boxes, and whatever else scattered around. Sure, it was messy, but it actually appeared lived in, rather than some room you’d see in a home magazine nobody would buy.

 

But, Vaughn doesn’t judge, he could if he wanted to, since he is a judgy person, but he doesn’t, because he takes into account that Rhys is still a CEO. A CEO with no life, apparently. 

 

Maybe it’s finally sinking in how vastly different Promethea is from Pandora. He realizes that he’s standing on carpet right now, actual carpet, instead of the dust-covered concrete that he usually found himself in back home. He had grown used to the rubble, so this small, sad apartment is something he’ll have to get used to, too, if he does stay. 

 

His eyes drift down to the side table against the shelf, and notices the large pile of unopened letters, and a lot of colorful cards. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that it’s a pile of useless mush sent from Rhys’s biggest fan.

 

He leaves them untouched, because he finds them creepy. 

 

Vaughn’s gaze drifts elsewhere, like an unattended bowl of fruit in an abandoned Atlas base, Vaughn notices the door to Rhys’s room wide open.

 

So, he wanders in, but quickly slips into the bathroom in Rhys’s room, the only actual bathroom in the apartment. 

 

Boots click against the tiles as he walks towards the sink, and he looks up to see the mirror looking back at him. 

 

He’s finally getting a good look at himself for the first time in awhile. 

 

He pulls his hair from the small ponytail in the back, watching the strands fall to his neck. Vaughn misses the bun, the hair that went down to his shoulders, but he chopped it off awhile back. He’s only now starting to grow it back. He wonders if he always looks this tired, looking at the bags under his eyes. He turns his head, scowling at the small amount of grey making itself known. He looks like absolute shit on Promethea, but on Pandora, he’s a modern day casanova, he thinks. 

 

Eyes wander to the shower, and he wonders if Rhys minds. Remembering that Rhys seemed really happy at the thought of Vaughn leaving, he concludes that yes, he would mind, but Vaughn has a cavalcade of retorts relating to Rhys mooching off of Vaughn in case Rhys brings it up. 

 

So, he pulls off his arm guards, leaving them discarded on the countertop, and hopes Rhys has nice shampoo, which is stupid to think, Vaughn realizes, because Rhys always has the fanciest kind of shampoo. 

  
  


Rhys walks through a sea of television screens to get home. 

 

Usually, the screens are off, or cycle through various advertisements, something Rhys never pays any mind to, but as he walks through the street, each passing screen flickers on, the street becoming brighter and brighter in the dark night, flashing and flashing that reminder to Rhys, that despite everything, he’ll never win.

 

Each passing building has a screen, shielded by glass that’s already been shattered, so there is no true escape on this street, and in the corner of his eye, Rhys watches a grin grow wider.

 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Katagawa’s newest business associate cheers, “This is Tyreen Calypso, current godmother of you loyal, loyal fans, back at it again with our most recent update,” 

 

Rhys remembers a time when he just turned the screens off as he walked by, ‘That’s real cute,’ Jack told him, but Rhys wore that shit-eating smirk on his face.

 

Now, there is no off switch, so he just continues walking, hands in his pockets, scowling.

 

“Tonights livestream is sponsored by Maliwan,” She says, a grin on her face, even as she says, “So stop killing them, they’re on our side,” With a little more strain on her voice.

 

Rhys just continues walking. 

 

“It’s come to my attention that we’ve got a bunch of party poopers,” She announces, “Crapping all over all the work we’ve done,” 

 

Her brother, Troy, the one with the oversized arm, makes himself known.

 

“There are a total of four vault hunters,” He says, “You know what to do, children,”

 

She nods, and makes a shooting motion with her fingers, “Take those sonuva bitches down, whatever it takes,” 

 

Rhys hasn’t exactly been up to date with his annoying cultist lore. 

 

He knows those idiots are after the vault, as most idiots are, and he knows they’re working for his enemy, so that’s double the idiot. God, has he always been this cynical? Rhys wonders what the hell happened to him.

 

The lights on the street shift from blue to green, green to yellow, such a slow transition Rhys doesn’t notice until he notices the reflection on his metallic arm, the hand painted magenta drowning in the neon lights. There’s a jumbotron in the distance still glitching out an evacuation light, red blinking and blinking above the city, telling the people that aren’t there to escape. Rhys doesn’t want to think about it too much, in fear of letting himself get lost in a torrent of depressing thoughts that’ll only ruin his walk home. 

 

He ignores the passing Maliwan patrol bots because they ignore him, but that doesn’t stop the annoying blue and red lights flashing where their eyes should be, red and blue, red and blue, becoming fainter and fainter as the bots pass by. 

 

For some strange reason, the bots in the city still do their jobs like nothing ever changed. 

 

For a moment, as he turns a corner, and the screens continue, he expects to see something else as the screens cast a bright blue light on him, but it’s just nothing, like it always is, just another advertisement to ignore. 

 

He looks down at his palm, the aperture in the center shuttering so slightly. 

 

It’s always the walk home that’s the worst part of Rhys’s day, because it isn’t really a home, it’s just a room he sleeps in, empty and boring and not interesting at all, just four plain walls around him, shrinking and shrinking until he can’t breath. 

 

He’s drowned out the twin’s voices now, as he looks down at the projection from his hand, showing him his most recent messages. He never replies, because there really is no point. He twitches his index finger to scroll, scroll and scroll, his gaze unfocused, the words blurring more and more. It’s more of a time passer than an actual messaging system, scrolling up and down to pass the time, steps slower and slower against the cold pavement. 

 

He stops scrolling, and finally returns to the top of the list, finally refocusing his gaze for only a moment. He’s about to close his fist before his breath catches a little.

 

‘We’ll be working together real soon, ;)’ He sees. 

 

For a second, all he could read was ‘We’ll be together,’ because that’s what Katagawa really means, all the business formalities are nothing more than smoke and mirrors, and for another second, it’s not Katagawa’s name that crosses his mind. 

 

He stops walking, and he turns his head towards the glass window glaring at him, and he stares up at the ten or so screens piled on each other, all showing his face back to him, his gaze tired and unexpressive, like some kind of corpse that’s been left to rot. 

 

Rhys doesn’t want to stare at himself any longer, so he closes his fist and keeps walking, his step a little bit faster now.

 

“You’re all our biggest fans,” Tyreen Calypso hums, “Troy and I wouldn’t know what to do without you,” 

 

He thinks about Vaughn, and then tries not to think about him, but that only drives the thought more and more into him. 

 

Maybe Vaughn took off after he uploaded the firewall up to the Catch-a-Ride systems, maybe he’s back where he belongs. 

 

Maybe this is Katagawa’s game, to wear Rhys down until he’s nothing but bones and sadness, or maybe Rhys is overthinking things, like he always does.

 

There was a time when Vaughn and Rhys would sit together with a drink in hand, arms resting on the metallic railing, and admire the neverending lights inside of Helios, watching the people down below march like ants, and they’d dream about ruling it someday, together.

 

The view’s not too different from Meridian, and in some other time, Rhys would look at it with awe, but after seven years of having no life, Rhys looks at it with disgust.

 

But, those are the thoughts of a cynical asshole, and Rhys has tried his hardest to keep that voice down, so as he escapes into the apartment building with nobody else to live in it, he tries to cheer up a little. He recalls all the times Lorelei would elbow him, tell him to cheer up, but that all washes away once he steps into the elevator. 

 

He remembers that he’s going to be alone again, no roommate, just four walls, and his own thoughts to keep him company. It’s something he’s been dealing with for seven years, so it’s not that big of a deal. It’s fine, even if it isn’t. 

 

So, he unlocks the door to his room, and pushes it open.

 

“Huh,” 

 

A surprised sound escapes him as he steps inside, noticing how much brighter the room is, with every light on, and the curtain drawn to reveal the city landscape. He didn’t leave it like this, he’s sure, so when his eyes look down to the couch, at Vaughn’s vest draped across the back of it, his chest tightens a little. 

 

It tightens a little bit more as Vaughn passes through the door to his bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.

 

“Oh,” Is the first thing Vaughn says, “Hey,” 

 

Rhys looks at his face, at the hair clinging to his skin, then his gaze drifts elsewhere, water droplets running down his chest. It shouldn’t be that much of a big deal, Vaughn walks around with his chest exposed at all times, but there’s something different about seeing him first thing out of a shower, which also shouldn’t be a big deal, because Vaughn and Rhys have lived together before, seeing each other in towels was commonplace.

 

But again, it’s different, because of that new feeling in Rhys’s stomach, that strange knot that twists each time he looks at Vaughn. 

 

Vaughn watches Rhys’s face go absolutely red. 

 

There are a million things going through Rhys’s mind right now, but the only thing that comes out it, “Did you use my shower?” 

 

“Yeah,” Vaughn answers, “I haven’t showered in years, to be honest,” 

 

Rhys stares at him, and that awkward, horrible silence fills the air again.

 

Until, Rhys says something stupid.

 

“You’re still here,” He says, something he’s sure he has said before, but different.

 

This tone of voice is throaty, accusatory, and all Vaughn can hear is ‘I don’t want you here, you’ve overstayed your welcome,’ 

 

Rhys watches Vaughn’s wide-eyed stare turn into a glare. 

 

“Wow, alright, we’re doing this now?” Vaughn says, catching Rhys off guard, “Yeah, I can tell you don’t want me here, so that’s cool,”

 

Rhys goes slack-jawed.

 

“I tried, I definitely did, to be your friend, but,” He throws his arms up, “Clearly you’re too busy for that,” 

 

“Wait,” Rhys tries to stop him, “I didn’t say that, what are you talking about?”

 

Rhys fakes a laugh, but Vaughn has knows Rhys for years, so he doesn’t laugh back. 

 

“Oh, yeah, Vaughn, I’ll totally be your friend,” Vaughn snaps, disappearing back into Rhys’s room to grab his clothes, “No wait, I don’t feel like it, because you’re cramping my style of being a jerk, so bye!”

 

Rhys and Vaughn have only fought twice in their time knowing each other, and this makes three.

 

“Vaughn,” Rhys says, averting his gaze away from the door, “I wasn’t,” 

 

But, Vaughn cuts him off, “No, I get it, you’re too good to hang around _Pandoran scum,_ ” 

 

Vaughn’s taking his own fear, his own crippling self-doubt, and repackaging it as hate, but he can’t stop himself.

 

Vaughn reappears as Rhys tries to think of a response, now in his ripped, worn down pants, his boots in his hand. He pushes Rhys out of his way, so gently in reality, but it completely knocks the wind out of Rhys.

 

“Vaughn, wait,” Rhys stutters.

 

“You made Lorelei carry me around like a freaking child,” He spits, “Just so you could get me out of your way,” 

 

Is that what Vaughn thinks? Rhys’s eyes go wide.

 

“I’m not trying to get you out of my way, bro,” 

 

“Don’t ‘bro’ me,” Vaughn hisses, but everything in his brain is telling him to shut up, to stop, but he can’t, “Just admit you want me gone,” 

 

Rhys watches Vaughn pull his boots on, every passing second, Vaughn’s closer to leaving.

 

“No,” He says, “Yes, shit, I don’t know!” 

 

Vaughn stares daggers into him.

 

“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Rhys continues, “You know how crazy Katagawa is, he could use you as blackmail, or something, I’m trying to help you,” 

 

“I’m not defenseless, and you aren’t my amazing heroic protector guy here to save me from the big scary corporation,” 

 

“I never said you were!” 

 

“This isn’t a Vallory situation,” Vaughn says, “I’m not your side-kick anymore,” 

 

That puts Rhys back in a particular spot, on the back of a truck, telling Vaughn to escape, because collateral is less important than keeping him safe, all those times Rhys would take a step in front of Vaughn like a human shield. 

 

It’s Rhys’s turn to start glaring.

 

“Well, sorry for trying to keep you safe,” He spits, “Next time, I’ll let you get kidnapped, or murdered, or worse!” 

 

“You’re not keeping me safe by telling me to screw off back to Pandora,” Vaughn retorts, “Pandora’s probably worse than Promethea, but hey, at least on Pandora, you won’t have to deal with me, which is clearly your primary concern,” 

 

“Stop accusing me of things!” Rhys shouts, “I’m sorry, okay?” 

 

There’s something in Rhys that’s threatening to shatter.

 

“You avoided me for seven years,” Vaughn gasps, and then it shatters, “And the only way you could apologize was when you were wasted out of your mind,” 

 

That forces years of silence back into Rhys, all the fear, all the paranoia, all the loneliness, all the times Rhys stayed up at night, so close to calling somebody, anybody, all the times he told himself that they’re better off, that they’re safer, that he is too busy, he repeated it until he actually began to believe it. All the times he’d look at Katagawa, drunk and drunker, and he’d sing all about Vaughn, that smile on his face, and he would listen, and listen. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Rhys answers, so quietly, parroting the words he spoke to Vaughn not too long ago, minus the drunken slur, “I know I messed up, and I’m sorry,” 

 

Vaughn pulls his vest on, and his expression softens.

 

“I,” He stutters, and that voice telling him to stop finally catches up, “I don’t belong on Promethea, probably, it’s, it’s not where I belong, so, y’know, you’re right about that,” 

 

The thing is, Rhys did want Vaughn to leave, for reasons Rhys would never tell, but Rhys can’t help but cling, he doesn’t fucking know what he wants, and it’s driving him crazy.

 

“I’m sorry, Vaughn,” Rhys croaks out.

 

“I know,” Vaughn answers, “I missed you, Rhys, I really did,” 

 

They sit in silence as Vaughn pulls his goggles onto his head, leaving them resting on his forehead. He finally glances towards Rhys, finally losing the glare.

 

“Be honest with me,” He whispers, “Why are you really trying to push me away?” 

 

Rhys can’t answer that. 

 

Maybe this is what Rhys wanted all along, to piss Vaughn off and make him leave for good, because Rhys knows he’ll never really be worthy of Vaughn’s friendship. 

 

But, Rhys can’t answer, and that tells Vaughn everything.

 

Vaughn knew this would happen. 

 

“I’ll see you later,” Vaughn says, lying, and gets up, “Bye, Rhys,” 

 

“Wait, wait,” Rhys stammers, eyes wide and desperate, he reaches and takes Vaughn’s arm, “Vaughn,” 

 

Rhys’s touch is so gentle, so caring, so kind, so considerate, and Vaughn has to tell himself not to melt. So, he tugs his arm free.

 

“Good luck with Atlas,” Vaughn says, and Rhys watches him back away. 

 

Vaughn leaves, and Rhys is left alone.

 

Rhys got his way, and now he’s miserable.

 

He fucked up, but he can’t bring himself to go after Vaughn, so he stands motionless.

 

He’s Atlas once again, struggling and struggling not to cave under the weight.

 

But, it’s fine, even if it isn’t.

 

The first thing Vaughn does when he steps into the elevator is yell. 

 

He drags his hands down his face and wonders what the hell he’s going to do, since he’s practically kicked himself out of Rhys’s apartment. He’s still angry, sure, but it pales in comparison to the screaming voice telling him to go back. 

 

Rhys and Vaughn have only fought twice in their time knowing each other, and this makes three, and is quite possibly the worst fight. 

 

He pretends that he has a life on Pandora to get back to, a life that isn’t filled with mooching off of his friend, a life that actually means something, a life where he isn’t a lowlife bandit. 

 

But the bandit never wins, does he? So, Vaughn falls back against the darkest corner of the elevator, listening to the ding of each floor passing by, hoping to die.

 

He opens his echo communicator, finger hovering over August’s name, the only thing that’s going to get Vaughn back to where he belongs, and then he remembers the service problem this stupid planet has.

 

Hopefully, like Yvette, August is somewhere close by, in his mailman spaceship. 

 

He wants to call his friends. 

 

There’s a lot of things he wants to do. 

 

But, instead of doing any of those things, he just steps out of the elevator and starts walking.

 

When he steps outside, he looks up above at the apartment building, wondering if Zer0 is up there, but he shakes off the thought, and just keeps walking. 

 

Their first fight was over Rhys’s cybernetics. To be honest, Vaughn was never on board with the idea to begin with, but Rhys was so adamant, so certain that those cybernetics would take them to the top. After the surgery, which Vaughn remembers sitting in the waiting room for hours, Vaughn practically became Rhys’s caretaker for a short time, as Rhys spent his time unresponsive and in pain, it felt like years, but the process only lasted a week and a half, and then Rhys was right as rain, as if nothing had ever happened, even as his new eye would glitch, flicker from side to side, which Rhys told Vaughn was incredibly painful, Rhys wouldn’t complain, and he’d have that smile on his face like he was special, and Vaughn tried not to complain, he wanted to remain on Rhys’s side, but he was always against the cybernetics from the beginning. Rhys said they were to make him better, enhance his data-mining, and keep him at the top of the game, and Vaughn only scoffed, because Rhys was already better than most of his coworkers, but Vaughn didn’t stop Rhys. Those days of shoving ice packs against Rhys’s forehead, forcing him to take painkillers, and worry endlessly if the surgery somehow took away his ability to read are burned in Vaughn’s brain forever.  

 

Vaughn remembers the day Rhys’s arm locked up, only a few days after the surgery, the absolute horror on Rhys’s face as it twitched violently, and Vaughn remembers hugging Rhys close to keep him from full-blown panicking.

 

Vaughn remembers calling Rhys’s cybernetics ‘cold and unfeeling,’ and he thinks he regrets that now.

 

So, the first time they fought was over Rhys’s cybernetics, and the second was over a TV show.

 

The second fight wasn’t serious at all, it shouldn’t even count. It was all the way back in their college days, when Rhys had that bird’s nest he called hair, and Vaughn still collected comic books. 

 

Vaughn wishes he could go back to that fight, when Rhys shouted to Vaughn that ‘It’s art,’ and Vaughn could only scoff at him. 

 

He wishes things were back to normal, that he wasn’t a bandit, and Rhys wasn’t a hermit. 

 

But, the bandit never wins, so he knows the wishing is useless.

 

His thoughts pause once he watches a lunatic throw another lunatic out of a window. 

 

“Crap,” He yelps, taking several steps back to avoid the glass shards. He takes a glance upwards and realizes that the building is a furniture store. 

 

The maniac climbs on top the the guy he just threw out of a window, a table lamp in his hand, and he laughs, “Welcome to your death day,” He squeals, and the man below him growls like a dog. 

 

Vaughn rolls his eyes, because he’s heard that before, by much scarier bandits. Neither of them have taken notice of Vaughn’s existence, and while Vaughn could just walk away, he decides to intervene. 

 

“Hey,” He growls, grabbing the bandit with a table lamp and pulling him off of the man, “I’ll rip your spine out and use it as a jump rope,” 

 

Vaughn slams his head against the bandit, sending the bandit tumbling to the ground, the table lamp shattering, and he rubs his head. That definitely hurt. 

 

The bandit on the ground finally climbs onto his feet, and gets eerily close to Vaughn, shoving his masked face into Vaughn’s face, letting out a weird giggle. 

 

The masked bandit grabs Vaughn and headbutts him, and Vaughn feels like he just gained a concussion. 

 

“Doom party!” The bandit shrieks, flailing his arms around, and Vaughn lets out a groan. Well, he’s made two new friends. “New death buddy!”

 

The bandit with the now shattered lamp gets back up, grabbing Vaughn to give him a small shake of gratitude, or maybe he’s trying to shake Vaughn to death.

 

“Yeah, alright, stop touching me,” Vaughn says, smacking the bandit’s hand away. 

 

The masked bandit reaches out and touches Vaughn’s beard, the opposite of what Vaughn wants.

 

“Give yourself to the Godmother,” He whispers, “Revel in her glory,” 

 

“Oh, great, I found cultists!” Vaughn announces, “This day sucks! And stop touching me!” 

 

Vaughn lets out a long sigh as the bandit continues to touch him. 

 

“Alright, death day, or whatever, you weirdo,” He says, grabbing the bandit with both arms and throwing him back where he came from, into the furniture store, “Figure out how to, uh, gasconade your excogitating, and then reach photosynthetic equanimity, or something,”

 

Vaughn walks away as the lamp-bandit picks up a shard of glass and hurls himself back into the shop, eager to stab it through the masked bandit’s flesh. 

 

Promethea is feeling a bit more like home now, with all the crazy people running around. 

 

For some reason, Vaughn doesn’t end up calling August, the only ticket back home he has, instead he finds himself messaging Lorelei. 

 

While he does this, he realizes how cold Promethea is, and how much it sucks. 

 

‘Hey,’ He writes, ‘Do you need a hand doing commander-ly duties, or whatever?’ 

 

It takes awhile for Lorelei to reply, and when she does, it’s accompanied by a picture of her posing with a Maliwan scout’s corpse.

 

‘kind of busy rn,’ The reply reads, ‘edge of meridian,’ 

 

Well, Vaughn’s never seen the Meridian outskirts, and as Lorelei sends him a location on his map, he decides he doesn’t need to leave just yet.

He gets a car from a recently repaired Catch-a-Ride, and remembers how he never actually learned how to drive.

 

‘That’s just fine,’ Ellie once told him after he explained that he had no idea how to drive, ‘Most people don’t on Pandora,’ 

 

So, he takes his Pandoran driving skills and leaves for Lorelei’s location, shoving any thought about Rhys into a small box where it belongs. He’ll force himself to pretend that he has better things to do, that anything relating to Rhys isn’t that important.

  
  


Rhys has no idea what he’s doing. 

 

A little while after Vaughn left, Rhys found himself in a daze, and now he’s on the sidewalk, hands in his pockets, on a familiar path towards a familiar place, but at the same time, he has no idea what the fuck he’s doing. 

 

That empty place in his chest is bigger than ever, and Rhys is just a husk, like the corpse staring back at him in his reflection. 

 

His vest was discarded back in his apartment, so it’s just that white dress shirt, no tie around his neck. He looks like an absolute wreck.

 

He’s stuck with himself, and nothing’s ever going to change that.

 

A long time ago, he could blame the empty feeling in his chest on the software in his head, telling him to die, but that was a long time ago, and the ones and zeros in the shape of Jack don’t exist anymore. It’s all Rhys, now, taking Jack’s place in the ‘Let’s destroy Rhys’s self-esteem,’ parade. 

 

Maybe he’s more like Jack than he realizes. He’s scared of that thought. 

 

But, he continues walking when he should be asleep.

 

He walks past a car on fire, walks past a building in rubble, each step growing heavier and heavier, gaze cast upon the ground, because he doesn’t need to look. He knows the way like the back of his hand, because there was a time where he’d go there every night.

 

So, he pushes the door to the abandoned bar open, the small bell jingling as he stumbles deeper into its darkness, the neon ‘OPEN’ sign blinking and blinking pink and blue.

 

Rhys has to step over the shattered bottles on the ground, he ignores the cobwebs, and even if the bar has been abandoned for awhile, that horrible smell of misery remains. 

 

So, he sits in darkness, head hung low, the echo eye in his skull casting the faintest blue light on the table. 

 

The world’s a little bit darker once Katagawa steps inside the bar, the clicking of his heels so faint, yet so deafening in Rhys’s ears, closer and closer. Rhys doesn’t look at him, but he knows Katagawa stops behind him.

 

Rhys doesn’t want to think about things, even though he knows this is a bad idea, he doesn’t want to think. 

 

He’s so exhausted.

 

“So,” Katagawa hums, that calm, calculated tone on his lips, and Rhys can tell he’s smiling. “What does Atlas want with Maliwan?” 

 

Twisting their first meeting into something uglier, Rhys finally turns his head, glaring.

 

“Not business,” Rhys says, voice quiet. “I hate saying it, but I’m lonely,” 

 

Katagawa’s face drops, now showing something different. Rhys isn’t sure if it’s genuine concern, or just a show.

 

“I’m here for you,” He says, “If you want me,”  

 

“I really want you to kiss me,” Rhys nearly cuts him off, and he turns his head back towards the table, his metallic fingers clicking against the surface. 

 

Katagawa takes a step forward, hands in his pockets.

 

“Are you drunk?” He asks.

 

“No,” Rhys answers.

 

“This is such a sudden advance,” Katagawa says, grinning sheepishly, something Rhys hasn’t seen before on him, “I mean,” 

 

Rhys turns around completely and reaches out, taking Katagawa’s tie into his grasp and pulling him closer, and as he does so, he steps out of his seat. 

 

“I need a friend,” Rhys says, and Katagawa melts. 

 

Faces inches apart, breath against breath, Rhys isn’t too sure who leans in first. Katagawa’s hands go to Rhys’s shoulders, and Rhys simply lets his arms fall to his sides. 

 

He just wants to be needed, he needs to be wanted, so for tonight, he makes a bad decision. Vaughn’s in his head, voice fuzzy and loud, and then he drowns him out.

 

Katagawa’s hands remain on Rhys’s shoulders, grip tightening as Katagawa pulls him just a little closer. Both of their lips are closed tight, like a middle schooler’s first kiss at a dance, awkward and strange. 

 

Passionless and unfeeling, Rhys is not sure what he expected, sparks? A new reason to stick around? Maybe if he thinks hard enough, Katagawa won’t be Katagawa when he opens his eyes, and he’s terrified to realize who he’d want to see when he opens his eyes. He recalls a time during his college days, when he’d go on a drunken bender anytime something would go wrong. He’s trading long-term friendship for a quick, fleeting moment of fake bliss. 

 

When they part for a breath, Katagawa’s breath is shaky, and his face is a funny shade of red. “You,” He gasps, “Have a funny way of surprising people, Strongfork,” 

 

Rhys slumps back into the bar stool, covering his face with a hand.

 

“God,” He shudders, running the hand down his face, “What am I doing?”

 

He averts his gaze, and slowly turns back around, hiding himself from the shame of whatever the hell he just did.  

 

He half expects Katagawa to leave without a word, disappear from his life entirely, or something. Rhys has ruined a lot of things, he’s destroyed every friendship he had, and now he’s broken this one, if you can even call it a friendship. 

 

But, Katagawa doesn’t leave, instead, he sits next to Rhys.

 

“That was strange,” Katagawa says, so matter-of-factly, “You are strange,” 

 

Rhys hides his face with his arms, a loud hiccuping sound escaping him, his eyes squeezed shut.

 

“Are you crying?” Katagawa asks. 

 

Rhys doesn’t answer with words, instead with a gross sob. 

 

“Don’t do that,” Katagawa replies, wincing.

 

The confusion of whatever the hell Katagawa is trying to do makes Rhys cry harder.

 

“Stop,” 

 

“Shut up,” Rhys finally hisses, staring up at Katagawa with red eyes. 

 

Katagawa doesn’t flinch.

 

“Boohoo, poor you,” Katagawa hums, straightening his tie, “Here I was just about to ask you what’s wrong,” 

 

They both glare at each other.

 

“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you like this,” Katagawa muses, “Does this have something to do with your ‘friend'?” 

 

Rhys glares harder. 

 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Katagawa continues, “I’ve spoken to him before, he’s very rude,”

 

“He’s not,” Rhys blurts out, “He’s right to leave me, I’m a huge jerk,” 

 

Katagawa raises a brow, “Now you’re just being too hard on yourself,” 

 

“I’m not, not at all, he’s strong, and cool,” Rhys sniffles, “He’s my best friend,” 

 

“And now,” Katagawa says, giving Rhys a weird look, “You’re kissing your enemies because of your best friend?” 

 

“That’s not what I,” Rhys looks at Katagawa with wide eyes, and then his mouth goes open as he realizes Katagawa just explained what just happened, “Oh, my god,”

 

Rhys turns his head away from Katagawa.

 

“I think,” Katagawa says, “You have many, many problems you need to take care of, instead of taking your, I don’t know, sexual frustrations out on someone else,” 

 

And then Rhys is staring back at Katagawa, astounded.

 

“What?” He blurts out, and Katagawa gives him a smirk.

 

“Am I wrong?” 

 

“It was just a,” Rhys doesn’t finish the sentence, and his voice dies off. “Am I crazy?” 

 

“Probably,” Katagawa answers, “Maybe that’s why I like you so much,” 

 

Rhys has no idea what to say to that.

 

When Katagawa puts a hand on Rhys’s shoulder, Rhys instantly tenses up.

 

“You’re not going to use this to blackmail me, right?” Rhys asks.

 

Katagawa chuckles, “I would never. I’ll take this to my grave, I expect you to do the same,” 

 

Rhys is silent for a moment, and then he sighs, “Me and Vaughn got into a fight,” 

 

Katagawa scoots a bit closer, hand dropping from Rhys’s shoulder onto the bar table. 

 

“I’ll listen, if you’re willing to talk,” 

 

Rhys rolls his eyes.

 

“It’s my fault, I, I basically tried to make him go back to Pandora, kicked him out of my office, tried to get my commander to babysit him so he wouldn’t be,” He swallows, “Near me, I guess, and he called me out on it,” 

 

“So, you pushed your supposed best friend away, and then came here, where you then kissed me, and then started to cry,” 

 

“God, you’re annoying, yes, I did, and I regret it, I should’ve never messaged you, shut up,” 

 

“I think you love your best friend, Rhys,” 

 

Katagawa says it like a scientist who just reached a conclusion to his most complicated theory, and Rhys stares at him with wide eyes.

 

At first, Rhys sputters, faking a laugh, regardless of his still red-blotchy face, “What? No, shut up, Katagawa,” 

 

Katagawa raises a brow.

 

“Maybe love is too strong of a word, then, but you clearly do care about him,” 

 

“Of course I care about him, he’s my best friend, I’ve known him,”

 

“Since college, yes, I know,” Katagawa cuts him off, “If he’s your best friend, then why’d you push him away? You talked a lot about him, it doesn’t make much sense for you to just cast him aside,” 

 

“I wasn’t casting him aside,” Rhys retorts, “I didn’t want him to get hurt because of me, or something. He deserves better,” 

 

“And?” Katagawa hums, gesturing with his hand for Rhys to keep going.

 

“And,” Rhys sighs, “I don’t know, he makes me happy,” Rhys looks up at the ceiling, “Happier than I’ve been in awhile, and I have no idea why I did that,” 

 

“Because,” Katagawa finishes for him, like he’s a therapist, and Rhys is on the couch, “You’re afraid of Vaughn realizing that he’s better off without you, so you’re saving yourself the heartbreak, and kicking him out yourself,” 

 

Rhys opens his mouth, and then closes it.

 

“What?” Katagawa asks, “I’m just thinking out loud, now, you don’t need to listen to me,” 

 

For a moment, Rhys forgets Katagawa is also trying to take over his company. 

 

“I should go now,” Katagawa suddenly says, stepping out of his seat, “Try not to die, Strongfork, I’d hate to say goodbye to this little rivalry we have,” 

 

Rhys gives him a confused look, “Wait, you’re just leaving?” 

 

Katagawa pops the collar to his coat, “I have a job, Rhys, and so do you, get some rest, I have a feeling your friend isn’t going anywhere,” 

 

Rhys stares at him, “What do you mean?” 

 

Katagawa shrugs, “It’s just a hunch, I mean, he stuck around this long,” 

 

Rhys watches Katagawa take a small step forward, and he doesn’t flinch as Katagawa places a human hand on Rhys’s jaw. He gives him a funny look, but Katagawa leans in and presses his lips against Rhys’s cheek, and he remains for a few seconds before pulling away, taking several steps back from Rhys.

 

Rhys rubs his cheek, giving Katagawa an even funnier look, and then he wipes his face with his sleeve. 

 

Katagawa laughs at that, and he adjusts his tie, “That was for the road,” He says, winking, “Good luck, or whatever,” 

 

Rhys sneers, half in disgust, half in confusion. “Uh, thanks?” 

 

“It’s not for you,” Katagawa replies, and Rhys is even more confused.

 

Katagawa smirks, and then he spins around, and Rhys catches him opening his metallic palm right before pushing the door open, projecting something Rhys doesn’t catch before he escapes.

 

So, Rhys is left alone. 

 

Rhys still feels terrible, but he’s thinking a little bit clearer, and that’s what matters.

 

He’s not in love, he thinks, he’s not. 

 

He’s a shitty friend, that’s what he is. He always has been. 

 

Vaughn’s been at his side forever, always supporting him, always backing him up, and all Rhys can do in response is push him away further and further. 

 

He lays his head down on the bar table, shutting his eyes, hoping he’ll be back in time when he wakes up.

  
  



	8. And The Aftermath That Followed,

‘You really screwed the pooch on that one,’ Jack says, pouring himself a drink, ‘Seriously, I haven’t seen a screw-up that bad in awhile, so, congrats, buddy!’ 

 

Rhys falls over, letting out a high-pitched scream as he recoils, his back hitting the ground with a loud thud, which hurts very, very badly. 

 

‘Calm down,’ Jack groans, ‘I’m a figment of your imagination, or whatever,’ He twiddles his fingers in a whimsical kind of way, but all Rhys can do is stare with astonishment, horror, one hundred emotions rolling through him like a tidal wave.

 

So, Rhys realizes he’s dreaming. 

 

“You,” Rhys stutters, “What?” 

 

Jack spins around, hand around a shot glass. When Rhys blinks, he isn’t looking at ones and zeros anymore, he’s staring up at the real deal, skin and bones.

 

‘Or, maybe I’m not, and this is my personal hell,’ Jack continues, shrugging, ‘That was pretty funny though, have you ever actually kissed anybody?’ 

 

Rhys slowly brings himself up onto his feet, his knees threatening to buckle back down. He lets out a shaky breath, and sits back down, but several seats away from Jack. He rests his arms with his human hand wrapped tightly around his robotic wrist. He doesn’t spare Jack a glance, simply glaring at nothing. 

 

“I want to wake up now,” Rhys announces. 

 

‘Yeah, good luck with that. I’ve got a message for you, brought to you by your subconscious-’ 

 

Rhys looks over at Jack, and realizes there’s nothing there, not even the glass he poured for himself.

 

‘What the hell are you doing?’ 

 

Rhys twists his head to the other side so fast it should hurt. 

 

He stares at Fiona, who’s taking a small sip from the glass, sitting right next to him.

 

‘I knew you were dumb, but this is beyond dumbass,’ 

 

“I,” He can’t speak, he’s just choking now, “Uh,” 

 

She sneers.

 

‘Oh, boy,’ She mocks, ‘I’m sad because I pushed my friend away, so let me kiss my worst enemy and hope he doesn’t backstab me!’ 

 

“I know,” 

 

‘Vaughn would do anything for you, and you just threw him away,’ She says, ‘What the hell, Rhys?’ 

 

‘That’s enough out of you,’ Jack pipes up, and when Rhys blinks, she’s gone, replaced with him. 

 

He nearly jumps out of his seat again. 

 

‘Listen, Rhys, that was probably the best choice,’ Jack says, ‘Friends will only drag you down, or backstab you. It’s more trouble than it’s worth,’ 

 

Again Rhys can’t speak, and his grip on his wrist tightens. 

 

‘Aren’t you a CEO or something?’ Jack asks, ‘Good job, champ! Knew you had it in you, but you’ve got a big problem with commitment,’ He tsks.

 

Jack spins the bar stool to face the endless void behind them, and Rhys reluctantly turns too. 

 

‘I mean, what’s with this ‘ _Oh I’m sad, Oh I’m miserable, this was a bad idea,_ ’ junk. Man up, or something, jeez. At least I had the balls to kill a business rival or two,’ 

 

Rhys glares. 

 

“I’m not you.” He suddenly says, that choking in his throat suddenly dying, allowing him to speak. 

 

‘You already are,’ 

 

Jack has a hand on Rhys’s back, pushing him up on his feet. It’s terrifying, and Rhys can’t do anything about it. Despite wanting to back away, the dream takes control of him, just an actor in the play. So, he follows.

 

‘Because, like it or not, kiddo, you’re Hyperion, and you’ll always be Hyperion,’ 

 

Jack taps his temple.

 

‘You can’t change what’s been hardwired into your brain,’ 

 

He knows Jack’s been completely wiped from his mind, this isn’t some revenge surprise attack by a malevolent AI. 

 

‘So,’ Jack opens his palm, and Rhys does too, ‘You’re gonna feel that itch, that itch to get shit done,’ 

 

It’s all Rhys. 

 

They step into Rhys’s office, which looks just like Jack’s office, but Rhys recognizes it as his own. The office chair that stands as a throne sits at the top of a long, long staircase of debris, bodies and bones, and Rhys finds himself staring at the headless statue of Handsome Jack, with his name stamped on the chest in red paint.

 

‘You’ve built your throne, king,’ Jack says, hands on Rhys’s shoulders, voice close to Rhys’s ear, ‘Now you’ve got to sit on it,’ 

 

There’s no backing out now, this is the path he’s chosen. 

 

So, he climbs the steps, climbing, climbing, climbing into an endless void, climbing into a pitch black world.

 

This is his legacy, and a long line of fuckups that he has to live with, because he’s Rhys Strongfork, the world’s biggest douchebag, who’d put aside everything just for a little taste of undeserved glory. 

 

He’s not Handsome Jack, he’s not, he’s not, he never will be, he will never be him, he screams to himself, he won’t be, he can’t be. He’s not a failure.

 

He’s not a failure, like the gangly little kid in fourth grade that got pushed out of a tree by another child, because kids can be cruel, the right arm forced into a sling by doctors that didn’t understand that he can’t be a failure, he needs to be better, the best he can be. The arm that never truly recovered, with a shake with every moment until Rhys chopped it off because he needed to be better. He’s not a failure, and he will never be Handsome Jack. Freakshow, the kids sing, freakshow, freakshow, freakshow.

 

He sits on the throne, eyes cast upon the growing debris around him, destruction and more destruction.

 

His mom always said he had the prettiest brown eyes, the eyes he hid behind shaggy, unkempt curls because one kid called him cross-eyed, so he ripped that out and replaced it with something better, because he’s going to be a bigshot, he’s going to win. 

 

Vaughn’s walking out of the room, and Rhys tries to stand up, but he can’t, the seat holding him like glue, he wants to say something, tell him to stay, but Vaughn’s leaving, and he can’t stop him, because it’s his fault, it’s always his fault. 

 

“Vaughn,” He screams, “Wait,” 

 

He’s free, and he stands up, but hands burst from the throne, arms wrapping around Rhys, pulling him, pulling him, pulling him, claws digging into him, ripping the nice, expensive suit he spent a fortune on.

 

‘Stay,’ Katagawa says, and then it’s Jack, ‘Let’s be friends,’

  
  
  


Rhys wakes up screaming, his throat stinging.

 

He falls, although he doesn’t realize it until his back hits the ground, and this time it does hurt. 

 

“Shit,” He hisses, hiding his eyes with his hand. 

 

He wasn’t asleep for too long, when he checks the time, about two hours. 

 

Well, he has a throne to sit on, a grave to lie in, and there is no backing out now.

 

So, he climbs back onto his feet, wincing as he rubs at his back, and he stumbles out of the bar, and back into the world, hopelessly dreaming that the world missed him while he was gone. 

  
  


Vaughn holds the last soldier alive down, foot against the shoulder blades, arm resting on his knee. 

 

“So, uh, do you think I should kill you?” He asks, and the soldier sputters through his mask. “Huh, good answer,” 

 

Vaughn shoots the man through the back of the head with just a mere pistol, and the man goes lifeless. 

 

Lorelei’s been sitting on a supply crate since they cleared out the threatening troops, fiddling with a rather threatening knife. He holsters the pistol, and turns to her, and she gives him a funny look. 

 

“You had way too much fun with that,” She says, and Vaughn shrugs. 

 

“It’s a good stress reliever,” He replies nonchalantly, noticing the supply crate is big enough for two. 

 

Lorelei watches Vaughn climb onto the crate to sit next to her, and she places the knife back into the holster on her thigh. 

 

“Ooh,” She gasps, “You’re a dangerous killer, watch out everyone, Vaughn’s going on a murder rampage,” She snorts when he rolls his eyes. 

 

“Yeah, whatever,” He groans, “Is Maliwan going to send back-up troops, or are we fine just standing out here?” 

 

“Eh,” She answers, “I wouldn’t count on back-up. They’re probably running the opposite way with their tails between their legs,” 

 

Vaughn looks down at the ground, twiddling his thumbs awkwardly. 

 

Lorelei notices that, and she leans forward. “You doing alright?” She asks. 

 

“Huh? Oh,” Vaughn stutters, “I’m fine,” 

 

“You know you’re really easy to read, right?” She replies. 

 

Vaughn sighs, and he still doesn’t give a solid answer, so she elbows him. “Ow!” He yelps, rubbing at his arm. 

 

“Having a lover’s quarrel?” Lorelei asks, arching a brow, and Vaughn goes wide-eyed. 

 

“What?” He stammers. 

 

“Oh, my god,” She gasps, “You totally are, what, is Rhys too much to handle, or something?” 

 

Vaughn lets out a long, funny kind of sound, a groan mixed with a sigh, and he covers his face. He can already tell he’s going red. “Shut up, Lorelei,” 

 

“Yeah, don’t tell a commander to shut up,” She warns, “Bad move,” 

 

“We got into a fight,” He blurts out, “I know he was basically trying to get rid of me, and I got really, really angry and stormed out,” 

 

“You know I can call him, right? Like, I could tell him to make up with you,” 

 

“What good will that do?” He replies, “He’s,” He gulps, “He’s too good for me,” And then he shakes his head, correcting himself, “A bandit, he’s too good to be friends with a bandit,”

 

Lorelei remains unconvinced. 

 

“Earlier, when Rhys called me,” Lorelei says, “He told me you had something important to take care of, that I should keep an eye on you so you don’t die, or something. He was like, ‘Lorelei, keep him occupied, I’m too busy to do anything but sulk, blah, blah, blegh,’” 

 

“Yeah,” Vaughn huffs, “I figured. He’s right, I guess, to want me gone. I don’t really belong on Promethea. Still hurt, though,” 

 

“I don’t think he’s keeping you away for that reason,” 

 

Vaughn gives her a funny look. “What?” 

 

“He probably doesn’t remember what it’s like to have friends,” She explains, “And is freaking out over it,” 

 

Vaughn’s even more confused, and his expression reflects that. “What?” 

 

“Something like that,” She concludes, “What I’m saying is you shouldn’t take it too personally,” 

 

“I’m taking it personally, actually,” Vaughn replies. 

 

“Well,” She elbows him again, “Stop it, then. Aren’t you a self-proclaimed Bandit King or something? You’ve got better things to do than sulk like a bloody child,”  

 

Vaughn’s reminded of Yvette when she says that. This time, he doesn’t take the advice too kindly.

 

“Then what do you suggest I do, Lorelei?” He says, “Walk up to Rhys and be like ‘Hey, sorry about leaving, even though you clearly have better things to do than talk to me! Let’s play a video game together or watch a show, bro! It’ll be just like old times!’” 

 

Lorelei doesn’t reply.

 

“Things aren’t going to be like old times, Rhys and I aren’t the same. He’s an all-powerful CEO, and I’m just a bandit. I shouldn’t even be here still,” He’s still twiddling his thumbs, “He’s got this war, and his company to look out for, and I, I should be on Pandora, trying to make a difference instead of just mooching off of my friend!” 

 

“Then go back to Pandora,” Lorelei says, “Go be a bandit, and stop whining about it! I hate to sound rude, but it’s true, if you feel like you’d be happier somewhere else, then go,”  

 

Vaughn just stares at her.

 

He doesn’t want to leave his friend. 

 

A long time ago, Vaughn could’ve left anytime he wanted to, he could’ve gotten a new roommate, gotten a new apartment, work for a different corporation, but anytime the offer came, he declined, because Rhys was his friend, and he always stuck by friends. He remembers accepting Vasquez’s deal, and the utter look of betrayal on Rhys’s face. ‘He offered me the deal, too,’ He said, giving such a cold stare, and Vaughn couldn’t even answer. It was to get Vasquez off both of their backs, he told himself, he still tells himself now, it was supposed to help Rhys, it wasn’t meant to mean anything, but the feeling remained, the plucky sidekick backstabbing his best friend to get on top. ‘I’m sorry,’ Vaughn said, ‘I’m sorry,’ and Rhys, without hesitation, forgave him, because Rhys is a good person, and Vaughn isn’t, because if Vaughn was a good person, he would’ve never said yes to selling Rhys out, despite the intention. Rhys was always the hero of the story, and despite it all, Vaughn was never jealous, because Rhys was such a good person, a good friend, the kind of friend that’d forgive a horrible act in a heartbeat. Rhys always said they were going to rule Hyperion together, a promise made by many, and all resulted in bloodshed, but Vaughn never worried about that happening to them, because Rhys and Vaughn always looked out for each other. 

 

He remembers the way the sky looked through cracked lenses, stars and debris, because Helios was crashing, trying to be the sun, lighting up the world. He remembers the fear, the devastation, the horror, all through the mask Fiona bought him long ago. To another eye, he was just another bandit, looking up at the end of an era, just like everyone else, just another bandit, and not a worried friend, begging to noone that his friend was in one of those escape pods, that his friends weren’t caught in the destruction. He was just another bandit, though, and that’s all he would ever be after Hyperion’s death, because nobody cares about a low-level accountant of a dead company.

 

He remembers finding Rhys’s impaled arm, and he remembers the horrible sinking feeling in his heart at the false realization that Rhys was gone.

 

He remembers the relief he felt when he saw Rhys’s face after the crash of Helios, wrapped in duct tape and bruised, and despite the gun pointed at his back, he felt nothing but bliss, because Rhys was alive, and that was all that mattered. He remembers the way Rhys lifted him off of his feet, and squeezed the life out of him. The way Rhys smiled was a sun, that new eye in his skull brighter than the last. After the Traveler was destroyed, he remembers watching the sunset with Rhys, realizing just how beautiful the sky can be sometimes. 

 

Vaughn and Rhys were a package deal, bro and bro, friend and friend.

 

He doesn’t know why he’s thinking of that now. 

 

Regardless of everything that happened before, Vaughn knows things are different now, but he doesn’t want to leave his friend.

 

He has to, though, because the bandit never wins, the bandit is killed by the vault hunter, the bandit is defeated in battle, the bandit never gets the girl, the bandit never wins. 

 

So, he nods, and he doesn’t tell Lorelei every thought that just ran through his mind.

 

“Yeah,” He croaks, “You’re right,” 

 

She places a hand on his shoulder, a comforting act, but it’s cut short when she gets a message. 

 

“Ugh, slag me,” She groans, pushing herself off the crate, “It’s Skyman. I’ve got to take care of whatever he wants, you coming?” 

 

He shakes his head.

 

Lorelei gives him a reassuring glance, smiling. “Well, stay out of trouble, Bandit King,” 

 

“Yeah, you too, Lorelei,” 

 

She disappears, and Vaughn’s left alone again, cast in the shadow of the broken bridge above. 

 

He’s gonna have to let go eventually, he tells himself, Ellie’s probably missing him on Pandora, the B-Team is probably missing their sometimes-member, the bandits that are currently reconsidering their life choices need a guiding word, and the abandoned halls of Helios need to be repaired again, and he’s just the man for the job. 

 

He scrolls through his contacts, and his thumb hovers over August’s name.

 

He’s not gonna be able to reach anybody in this part of Meridian, so he sighs, and pockets his communicator. 

 

There’s a thousand things going through his head right now, but he reminds himself to count, one, two, three, one, two, three, and he begins walking. 

 

He’s gonna have to let go eventually, he repeats in his mind, he’s gonna have to let go. 

  
  


Rhys stumbles into his apartment, and the first thing he does is throw his vest down onto the couch, and it lands directly on an invisible figure.

 

“Oof,” 

 

Rhys doesn’t react, because he can tell when Zer0’s in the room.

 

“Yeah, uh, stop sneaking into my apartment,” 

 

Zer0 throws the vest aside, and it crumbles to the floor, and they flicker into existence, kicking their feet up onto the coffee table, which Rhys sneers at. 

 

“Okay, can you not do that, that’s my furniture,” He groans, “I paid for that,” 

 

He steps into the kitchen, which is basically a small portion of the living room, so Rhys continues glaring at Zer0 until they reluctantly remove their feet off the table. 

 

“You are in a mood, what the hell happened to you, did somebody die?” 

 

Rhys opens the fridge, ignoring the expired food he should really clean out. He retrieves two bottles of his fruitiest wine, strawberry and lime for him, and some sort of citrus or something for his guest.

 

Wait, can Zer0 even drink? Rhys grabs a straw. 

 

He stumbles back into the living room, and presents the bottle to Zer0. He’s met with a projected ‘?’ on their helmet.

 

“Yes that is a drink,” They stare at the bottle, and then to Rhys, “I do not open bottles, so do not ask me,” 

 

Rhys awkwardly laughs.

 

“What? No, I’m trying to be, uh, polite,” He replies, stuttering, and he’s still holding it out to them.

 

So, they take it into their four-fingered hand, and when he presents the pink straw, he’s met with a ‘LOL’.

 

They slam the cap against the edge of the coffee table, watching it fly across the room, and the drink fizzes. Rhys shoots them a nasty glance as he sits next to them.

 

“Again, stop doing that to my furniture!” 

 

‘3MTA3’ Is their speechless response.

 

He’s able to pop the cap with his robotic thumb, and he takes a pathetic sip. 

 

Zer0 slides the straw into their drink, and gives Rhys another look.

 

“What am I supposed, to do with this straw in this, very fruity drink?” They ask.

 

“I don’t know! Stick it into a hole? In your mask?” 

 

‘...’ 

 

‘LMFAO’

 

Rhys rolls his eyes, and then does a double-take as he watches Zer0 slide a port at the bottom of their mask open, right underneath the chin, and slowly slide the straw in.

 

“Oh, you, you actually can do that. How did I not know that?” 

 

Mid-sip, Zer0’s mask lights up again, ‘:-P’ 

 

So, as they lower their drink, resting it on the coffee table, and Rhys copies them, two incredibly fruity drinks left on the table.

 

After a moment of silence, Rhys suddenly drops down, lowering his head onto Zer0’s shoulder, and he lets out a gross whine. 

 

“What am I going to do, Zer0?” He cries.

 

‘OMG’ ‘WTF?’ ‘???’ 

 

“I’m such a jerk,” 

 

Zer0 hesitates, and then gives him a very awkward, stiff pat.

 

“There, there,” They say, and it sounds more like a question than anything reassuring.

 

“I was so happy, and then I just,” He lets out a sob, “Pushed him away, what kind of friend does that?” 

 

Katagawa opened the wound back in the bar, and now it’s never going to close, so Rhys, for the moment, lets himself be vulnerable, regardless of how embarrassing it may seem.

 

“I miss him already,” He wheezes, “What am I going to do?” 

 

He’s miserable, and his stomach is twisting further and further into knots. 

 

Zer0 pushes him off their shoulder, because he got tears on their suit. 

 

Rhys tries to recollect himself, frantically wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.

 

“When you hired me, I had said I wanted an, exciting challenge,” Zer0 stands up, abandoning their drink on the table as they pace across the room. “I did not sign up for your mental breakdowns,”

 

“Whuh?” Is the sound Rhys makes in response.

 

Zer0 drags their finger across the shelf, and they stare at the dust. 

 

“What are you doing?” Rhys croaks. 

 

Zer0 walks over to the table covered in unopened letters, and they look over to the garbage can. 

 

“Cleaning.” They say, grabbing the nearly empty garbage can and slamming it against the ground. Rhys just sits and stares as they slowly drag the letters off of the table and into the garbage. 

 

“You’re cleaning?” He asks, sniffling. “What?” 

 

“I want you to stop, crying like a small baby, and fix your problems,” They say, “One step at a time, first things first we will clean your, very dusty room,”

 

Rhys wipes at his eyes again, and slowly rises to his feet.

 

“Get out of my apartment, Zer0,” He says, trying to sound like the boss he’s supposed to be, but it just comes out as a whine, “I, I don’t need your help,” 

 

“Shut up,” Zer0 answers. 

 

Rhys remembers when he was Zer0’s fanboy, and now here they are, in his apartment, currently retrieving wipes from the kitchen. 

 

They present the wipes to Rhys.

 

“Clean the dust right now, you sad sad sad sad old man, or I will kill you.”

 

Rhys snatches the wipes away from them, and he sniffles again. “I may be a sad old man,” He says, “But you're the jerk who said sad four times so you could make that into a haiku,” 

 

“Shut up,” Zer0 repeats.

 

So, Rhys reluctantly walks over to the shelf, and slowly, and awkwardly, starts to wipe the dust off of the surface, grey turning into a slick black, which is much more appealing, Rhys realizes. 

 

Zer0 begins to clear out the rotten food in the fridge, letting out a loud ‘ _Eugh,_ ’ as they drop each item into the garbage. Rhys decides not to joke about it. 

 

“This is very gross,” They say, “It smells incredibly bad, we need some candles” 

 

Rhys rolls his red eyes. 

 

But, he realizes he isn’t thinking of Vaughn, or anything else incredibly depressing, so, he appreciates it, and continues cleaning.

 

He feels like Zer0 is his life coach or something, telling him to clean his room so he won’t feel so sad. He remembers that it’s the sort of thing Vaughn would tell him back in their college days.

 

Stop it, he tells himself, stop thinking about him. 

 

“I really should’ve gone through my mail,” He says, “Before you just threw it all away,”

 

“Who cares what was in it?” Zer0 replies, “It’s garbage now.” 

 

“Good point,” 

 

So, they clean, and clean, and clean, and then they move to the bedroom, where Zer0 tests Rhys’s reflexes by throwing dirty clothes at him like they’re dodgeballs. 

 

“Stop doing that!” He yelps, throwing a shirt into the hamper after Zer0 chucked it at him.

 

“Heads up,” And then he gets a pair of pants in his face. 

 

And then, when they finish cleaning, the wine bottles are still on the table where they left them, definitely room temperature now. Zer0 disappeared for an hour or so in between, and returned with many, many candles, though Rhys doesn’t ask where they kept them on the way back. 

 

They’re lighting the tenth candle when Rhys finally says something.

 

“That’s definitely a fire hazard, dude,” He says.

 

“What? Are you scared of, some incendiary damage? Learn how to have fun,” 

 

“If you burn my apartment down, I’m firing you,” 

 

“It’s lavender scented,” 

 

Rhys is met with an emoticon smile. 

 

When the twentieth candle is lit, that’s when Zer0 stops their candle-lighting rampage, and they take a seat across from Rhys, on the comfy chair facing the couch, while Rhys lays with a pillow on his face. 

 

They sit with their elbows resting on their knees, fingers locked together, a ‘...’ on their face.

 

Rhys pushes the pillow off and gives them a funny look. “What?”

 

Despite the candles, the room darkens around the two of them, nothing but the menacing glow of one, two, three dots, one, two, three. 

 

They’re back to being themself, Rhys concludes.

 

The apartment is spotless, unrecognizable and new-looking, and the candles reflect in the large ceiling-to-floor window so beautifully. It’s a new home, not a house, a place that appears lived in, and cared for, and not just a shell Rhys hides in every night. 

 

But, one, two, three dots drag him somewhere darker, because Zer0 can always be so serious sometimes. 

 

“I was at the bar,” They say, “When you kissed Katagawa, in complete darkness,” 

 

There it is. 

 

Rhys’s face goes red, and his eyes are cast upon the ground. He sits up, and doesn’t look Zer0 in the place where their eyes would be, shame, humiliation, everything rushes through him, and that knot in his gut is back, twisting, and twisting.

 

One, two, three dots.

 

“So, this is what you wanted?” He sighs, and then chuckles, yet there’s no amusement, “Help me, and then break me down, huh?” 

 

“He already said, all I could possibly say, you stupid gay bitch,” 

 

‘LOL’ 

 

Rhys gawks at them. 

 

“He is a douchebag, but he is right about this; you really like Vaughn,” 

 

‘<3’ 

 

Are they mocking him? Rhys thinks they’re mocking him.

 

And then astonishment turns into anger, hands ball up into fists, and Rhys huffs. 

 

“Don’t,” He says, “Don’t do that, I don’t need this, I’ve,” He begins to rant, “I’ve got way too much on my plate, and I already messed up everything with Vaughn, and I’ll never fix it, because he’s gonna go back to Pandora, and I can’t stop him, and I know it was stupid of me, expecting things’ll be fine, and then that feeling showed up, and I had no idea what to do, Zer0, everytime I looked at him something told me to quit my job and run away with him, and I can’t do that, I have a company to keep up, I need to keep Katagawa off of our backs, and I need to make sure Vaughn isn’t caught up in this shit, so, yes, I did do that, Zer0, I make bad decisions when I’m upset,” He spits, “So, screw you,” 

 

He is not a joke, he isn’t a failure, he isn’t the weird kid at the back of the class. 

 

“I’m not going to let my fuckups become his fuckups, he doesn’t deserve that, none of them deserve this, why do you think I never freaking called Sasha? Or Fiona? Or anybody else, I am a shitty friend, believe it or not! So laugh at me, I don’t care,” He does care, and he takes a second to catch his breath. “I feel like I’m drowning,” 

 

Zer0 is still staring. 

 

“And maybe Jack’s right, maybe I’m just like him, I don’t fucking know, and I can’t do anything about it, I’m just a complete,” He remembers Sasha’s face when he revealed the AI in his head, “Douchebag,” 

 

“Don’t keep your enemies closer,” Zer0 says, “And don’t fall off the edge,” 

 

They stand up, tall and proud.

 

“I don’t care what you do, but I am leaving,” 

 

Rhys suddenly regrets everything he just said.

 

“Wait, Zer0-”

 

“But, I’ll leave you with this,” 

 

Zer0’s mask is blank, and Rhys can see his own face in the reflection.

 

“My sword and I will always remain together,” They say, “I can cast it aside, leave it in the heart of my enemy, but will I do that? No, because the sword belongs with me.” 

 

Rhys has no idea what they mean, but it sure sounded badass. 

 

He also realizes that Zer0 does all of that, because their sword is capable of digistructing, so there’s no need to keep an eye on it, so, again, he has no idea what they mean. Sounds poetic, though. 

 

Rhys opens his mouth to speak, but then they flicker out of existence, leaving Rhys in a room filled with twenty lit candles, the smell of lavender overwhelming. 

 

He falls back against the couch, letting out a long sigh. He doesn’t want to think. He doesn’t want to face reality. 

 

That’s another good moment he messed up with his horrible-ness. 

 

So, this is his throne, built upon pent-up hate and fear, and now he’s gotta sit in it.

 

Again, this is the path he’s chosen, and there’s no backing out now. He’s Mr. Atlas, forever in a three-way tango with his wayward dreams, and the corporate shackles keeping him locked together with Maliwan. 

 

‘It’s you and me,’ He told Vaughn once, ‘Forever, bro,’ 

 

‘Yeah,’ Vaughn answered, ‘I know,’ 

 

So, this is his throne, and he better make the fucking best of it, regardless of his feelings, he needs to keep going. 

 

But, he falls asleep before he can continue thinking about that, passing out on the couch, those twenty lavender candles burning and burning through the night. 

  
  


Vaughn sleeps in a disgusting, trash covered alleyway, which he doesn’t mind, hoping that he’ll wake up happier than the night before. 

  



	9. King Rhys’s Throne, And Why Vaughn Is The Way He Is,

Someone snaps their fingers, echoey and sharp in Rhys’s ears.

 

‘Come on, king,’ He says, ‘I don’t have all day,’ 

 

Rhys remembers a time when he didn’t have any Jack dreams for a time period. He misses that. He blinks, and tries to figure out where he is.

 

Rhys sits in the Helios food court, and Jack’s across from him, leaning back with his feet on the table, shoving a turkey leg into his mouth. 

 

‘So, uh,’ Jack says, mouth full, ‘Hi, how’s it going, bud?’

 

“Can you, like, not talk with your mouth full, thanks,” Rhys hisses.

 

‘I gotta say, you,’ He begins to point at Rhys with his free hand, and takes a bite of his turkey leg, 'You seem to be doing well, gonna be honest here, you’re not dead, so good for you!’ 

 

“Yeah, and I hope you die,” Rhys replies, “Again,” 

 

Jack mocks him, using the turkey leg as a representation for Rhys as he makes a whining sound, waving it around angrily, ‘Wah, wah, wah, I’m Rhys, I suck super hard, wah, wah, wah,’ And then he begins to laugh, grating and hoarse, ‘Yeah, that’s what you sound like, screw you, dick,’ 

 

Rhys keeps glaring daggers into Jack.

 

‘Y’know, you made the right call,’ Jack continues, gesturing with his turkey, ‘With that ninja-freak, scaring them off like that, so, good work,’

 

‘Don’t mock me, don’t mock me, don’t mock me,’ Is all Rhys thought when he stared them down, ‘Don’t you dare mock me, I am not a joke.’

 

And now, here’s Handsome Jack, telling him good job.

 

He did something wrong.

 

“Shut up,” He says, “God, you’re so annoying, why are you still here?”

 

‘If you wanted me gone, I would be,’ Jack says, shrugging, and he offers a smug smirk, and then he starts mocking him with the turkey leg again, ‘Oh, look, I’m Rhys, oh, Handsome Jack, you’ve got such a great personality, and amazing hair, I can’t wait for you to share your expansive corporate knowledge with me,’ And then he looks to Rhys, back to the turkey leg, ‘Thank you, Rhys, you know, I am so glad to hear you say that,’

 

“Two words; Kill yourself,” Is all Rhys snaps in response.

 

‘Yeah, whatever, bite me,’ Jack groans, ‘By the way, shitty mustache, just throwing that out there,’ 

 

“Are you just going to keep insulting me, or?” Rhys replies, already bored with Dream-Jack’s show.

 

‘Are you gonna keep whining like a little bitch, or?’ And then Jack shakes his head, ‘Sorry, start over,’ And then he throws the turkey leg behind him, and it doesn’t exist anymore. He pulls his feet off the table and scoots his seat in, ‘Let’s talk, heart to heart, man to man, handsome CEO to slightly less handsome CEO,’

 

Wow, the world's worst compliment. Guess that’s growth.

 

‘Gotta hand it to you, kid,’ Jack starts, ‘Didn’t expect you’d actually be able to pull off this whole CEO business, but you’ve surprised me, I mean, you actually got Promethea under your thumb, it’s ridiculous,’ 

 

Rhys continues glaring.

 

“I don’t rule over Promethea, Jack, Atlas isn’t Hyperion. I know better,”

 

Jack waves him off nonchalantly, ‘Whatever you say, kid, all I’m saying is; I’m impressed,’ 

 

Oh boy, just what Rhys always wanted, the guy that ruined his life to appear in his dreams to tell him he did a good job.

 

“I don’t care,” Rhys snaps, “I couldn’t care less about what you think, can I go now?”

 

That’s the tipping point, the Jack that Rhys knows and fears, the flesh and blood Handsome Jack twists and turns until it’s a baby blue, glowing against the abandoned food court, darker and darker.

 

‘Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up,’ The words phase into each other, like a glitched out video that won’t stop, Jack’s voice flickers, wavers, and then booms, ‘Shut up,’

 

Jack slams his hands down onto the table, and everything is more horrible, because Rhys is sitting in Jack’s office, shrinking like an employee getting chewed out by his boss.

 

‘Listen up, you little shit,’ Jack snarls, getting real close to Rhys’s face, his tone closer to a hissing sound, and suddenly, Rhys isn’t feeling so snarky now, ‘We both know you’re gonna keep coming back here night after night,’ And then he narrows his eyes, ‘So cut that bullshit,’ 

 

Rhys remembers this feeling.

 

It’s the feeling of letting Jack into his systems, it’s the feeling of refusing Jack’s offer on the roof of that caravan, it’s the feeling of being choked out by your own hand, complete helplessness. He thought he outgrew that, and now here it is again, digging its teeth into Rhys like a leech. 

 

‘You’re a dog, Rhys, an ugly, abused dog,’ Jack says, ‘Limping all the way back home for another beating, because that’s what you deserve,’

 

It’s just a dream, he tells himself, it’s just a dream, it’s just a dream, it’s just a dream.

 

“You. Can’t. Hurt. Me,” He finally says, a pause between each word, unable to let himself be terrified again, and he’s hushed and quiet, “You’re a dream,” 

 

‘You keep saying that, Atlas, and you might start actually believing it,’ 

 

Jack’s hand stretches out, and Rhys is sent falling back, tumbling, scrambling to step away, get away, because he’s not going to let this happen again, he won’t let Jack hurt him again, he’s not a loser, he’s not a monster, he’s not Jack, he’ll never be Jack, ‘You and Jack ruined our lives,’ Fiona said, she doesn’t understand, she never could understand, he said no, he wouldn’t rule Hyperion, he wouldn’t, because he knew what Jack was capable of, and everyone left him, they didn’t leave him behind, they left him behind on a burning space station, they left him burning with the monster that created him, they didn’t, stop thinking that, they didn’t, they wouldn’t, he left Vaughn behind, just like they did, he didn’t leave Vaughn behind, he didn’t, he did, and now the hand of Hyperion is closer, and closer, he won’t ever lose again, ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and the ones you love litter the roadsides,’ He said, and Rhys couldn’t answer, it was all just fluff, all just talk to get Rhys’s guard down, it’s not true, it’s never been true, Rhys is the hero, he has to be, he’s not Jack, he won’t ever Jack, and that eye on the top shelf in a trophy cabinet is the scar, the reminder, that he cannot lose, he cannot lose control, Jack’s grinning, and then he’s scowling, ‘They’re gonna betray you, they’re gonna betray you, they’re gonna betray you, it’s only a matter of time, it’s only a matter of time, it’s only a matter of time,’ He doesn’t know what Jack means, he cut them off, they can’t hurt him, they can’t hurt him anymore, he can’t hurt him anymore, Jack will never hurt Rhys again, ripped apart piece by piece just to survive, the things that righted the wrongs were a death sentence, shut up, shut up, shut up.

 

He twists and pulls, but he can’t move his arms, and now he’s the one on the throne, ‘Let me go,’ He screams, ‘If I die, you die too,’ He’s back in time, again, back on Helios, there’s nobody to help him, because everybody left him behind, ‘Let me go,’ There’s something in his head, something in his head, it’s shocking him, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, get it out, get it out.

 

And now, Hyperion’s reaching a hand out, striking Atlas down one last time, the punishment Rhys craved for so long, the weight of the world on his shoulders, ‘You idolized me, now you’re gonna be me,’ it’s not a punishment, it’s what Rhys deserves, it’s what he’s worked for, he deserves it, punishment or not, he’s not Jack, he’s not him, who is he? Who is Rhys? 

 

So, he wills Jack away, sending the monster back under his bed for the night, because he knows Jack’s just a figment of his imagination.

 

He can’t breathe, and there’s nothing on his throat, he wheezes, he coughs, there’s nothing there, think of something better, think of something better, anything, anything.

 

‘Let’s be friends,’ Katagawa said, lips against Rhys, unfeeling and motionless, no amount of effort put into it, ‘Let’s be friends,’ 

 

Something better than the reminder that Rhys will never be good enough, he’ll never win, he’s a loser, he’s a loser, he’ll always be a loser, his father was right about him, just a loser, no, don’t think, don’t think, or he suffocates, something better, something better.

 

Vaughn, and the memory of a warm embrace, lingering in his mind like a stain that won’t come out.

 

Vaughn.

 

His watch beeps, and he can breathe, and then, he’s somewhere else, outside in the middle of the night, in a sea of neon.

 

He forgets who Handsome Jack even is, because he never existed in this world.

 

Rhys checks the time on his watch, and notices that whatever is supposed to be there is replaced with a blurry scramble. Whatever time it is, it’s the correct time, because Rhys wanders through the door to nowhere, and then it’s somewhere, it’s the restaurant he always wanted to go to, and although he’s never actually seen the inside, his mind fills in the blanks. He’s got the silk black suit with the popped collar, the one that lets the pattern on his collarbone peek out so slightly. He sits across from Vaughn, who’s dressed so nicely, and when their eyes meet, Vaughn smiles so handsomely, like Rhys is his knight in shining armor, and the sight makes Rhys blush under the faint candle light between them. First, there’s people all around them, going on with their lives, but when Vaughn smiles, there’s nobody else but them. Rhys has a hand on the table, a flesh and bone right hand, and Vaughn’s hand is right there, and their fingertips are grazing so gently, and Rhys gives Vaughn a half-lidded stare, in a daze, such a small gesture, yet it burns in Rhys’s memory. The candlelight continues flickering, drowning the two of them in a comforting orange hue, the kind that compliments nicely with the yellow echo eye still in Rhys’s skull. He’s the bright new face in a sea of old corporate jackasses, looking to gain some footing, and Vaughn is the one that’ll always be by his side. When Rhys’s eyes gaze down, Vaughn’s bow tie is crooked, imperfect, so he reaches out, and then they’re standing nearly chest-to-chest, the dinner table ceasing to exist, and Rhys is fixing Vaughn’s tie so carefully, eyes not leaving Vaughn’s neck, and then Vaughn says, ‘Do you want to get out of here?’ His tone is so gentle, and yet it rocks Rhys to the core, and Rhys’s throat is dry, and he’s choking on his words as he stumbles out, ‘Okay,’ 

 

Vaughn pushes him back, and Rhys lets him, pushing and pushing as they stumble together into their bedroom, and then Vaughn is leaning up, and Rhys is leaning down, awkward and different, but Rhys wouldn’t change that for the world, and then they’re kissing, and it’s everything Rhys could’ve ever hoped for, Vaughn grabs the lapels of Rhys’s coat, and Rhys cups Vaughn’s jaw, squeezing his eyes shut, and they’re spinning, or at least that’s what it feels like, delirious and drunk, desperate and more desperate, Rhys shudders, and he keeps going, and Rhys notices that Vaughn’s lips are chapped, so he makes a note to buy him some chapstick, he remembers that strawberry scent is Vaughn’s favorite, and for a moment, he’s distracted, but as the kiss becomes more teeth and tongue, his mind goes elsewhere, Rhys hasn’t kissed anyone since his last girlfriend, years and years, and now he’s kissing Vaughn, and it feels like it’s meant to be, Vaughn and Rhys have been together all these years, Vaughn’s been every step of the way, and now he’s taking a few more steps forward, pushing Rhys until Rhys feels himself falling, back hitting the bed with a thump, and then he’s back on Rhys, mouths parting open, teeth and tongue, and Rhys pries Vaughn’s coat from his shoulders, hands gliding across his arms, up onto his back to grab onto, and Vaughn tells him to ‘Take it easy,’ The thing Rhys would always say to him, now being mumbled into Rhys’s ear, and he’s drunk and drowning on the sound, Vaughn’s lips are on Rhys’s neck, because in this world, Rhys doesn’t recoil at the touch, in this world, he writhes and pleads. 

 

‘I love you,’ Rhys says, because he means it, he’s always meant it, it’s the only thing on his mind, and then Vaughn’s voice comes out in gasps, and he’s pounding into Rhys, pounding like the beat in Rhys’s chest, pounding like Rhys’s head, and Vaughn repeats Rhys’s words back to him, ‘I love you,’ Vaughn has a film of sweat building across him, and Rhys remembers staring back at him with wide eyes, Vaughn was just out of the shower, the steam still on his skin, the water still running down him, and now here he is, on top of Rhys, gasping and gasping into his ear, saying the one thing Rhys needs to hear, ‘I love you,’ And then Rhys is closer, closer, closer, needed and wanted, needed and wanted by somebody that smiles like the sun, closer, closer, closer, and Rhys is crying for more, knowing that Vaughn’ll always deliver, their hands are linked together, grasp tighter and tighter.

 

He wants to remember this moment, and live in it forever, hoping that Vaughn’s the one he’ll come home to everyday. 

 

Vaughn’s his downfall, the absolutely good kind of downfall, the one that’ll always catch him. Vaughn says something, but the voice is nothing but muffled mumbles in Rhys’s ears, what did he say? 

 

Vaughn presses a kiss to Rhys’s forehead, and Rhys remembers that he’s Rhys, and that’s all Vaughn wants from him, scaring away the name Atlas, because Rhys is not Altas.

 

Closer, closer, closer, tighter, tighter, tighter, Rhys lets out a strangled groan, closer, closer.  

 

And then he wakes up.

 

He wakes up shaking.

 

He wakes up gasping, sweating, and with too many problems going on in his tiny brain. The weight that rested on his chest before he passed out is back now, like a black hole, leaving him feeling hollow.

 

His body is pins and needles, and his mind goes blank, and then it goes haywire. 

 

God, what is wrong with him? His metallic fingers twitch, curling and uncurling, and his eyes remain on the ceiling, refusing to look at anything else. 

 

He’s still on the couch, worthless and dirty-minded, and he reprimands himself, pressing a metallic fist to his forehead, knocking to see if any semblance of sense is still in there.

 

He can’t remember the conversation with Jack, but he thinks he can, it’s at the tip of his tongue, but everything is static compared to the burning impact of something he didn’t know he wanted, it’s screaming, like an old scar reopened just for the hell of it.

 

He’s still gasping for breath at this point, his throat stinging.

 

Rhys lets out a long, long sigh as he pushes himself up, and he looks up towards the kitchen counter, towards the candles still burning, though more than half-way burned now. He’s alone, thank god. 

 

He steps into the bathroom, and peels off the dress shirt clinging to his skin, and then he looks back at the corpse in the mirror, Mr. Atlas.

 

There’s bruises on his neck. 

 

He leans closer to the mirror, human hand braced along the rim of the sink, and metallic fingertips graze the purpled skin. He hasn’t done that in a long time. 

 

Rhys used to do it a lot, back when he first landed on Promethea, and even before that, back when he stayed with the Children of Helios. It’s why he always takes his arm off before he sleeps each time, and when he forgets, things like this usually happen. 

 

But, it’s happened before, so Rhys tries to forget it’s even there. 

 

He feels like he’s drowning.

 

He remembers that he has a life outside these four walls, a life dictated by Maliwan’s forces, a life dictated by pressure, and fear, and fake smiles, but that’s the price to pay for being at the top of the corporate ladder. Perhaps he should be more worried about the strangulation marks left on his neck, but, again, he’s done it before.

 

So, Rhys stands in the shower, ice cold water pounding at his back for some time, and when he dresses, he wears the striped blue shirt that covers his neck.

 

It was just a stress-induced dream, brought on by Rhys’s wishes to get away from the Jack in his mind, get away from reality, like a stress-induced kiss, it doesn’t mean anything. He’s going to walk out of his apartment, he’s going to carry on with his goddamn job, and that’s going to be the end of it, just another repressed dream to add to the collection, another last place trophy in the case. He hopes Vaughn’s back on Pandora, far from the dumpster fire that is Promethea, and that Vaughn doesn’t think about Rhys as much as Rhys thinks about Vaughn. Vaughn’s got friends, he’s got people he cares about back home, and Rhys has Atlas, and that is the best silver lining either of them are going to get. 

 

“What is it, Lorelei?” He eventually groans, palm opened to show Lorelei through a projected screen. 

 

“You look like shit, sir, first things first,” She answers, “Second, we’re gonna need our general back at HQ, Maliwan’s kicking our arses out here, and we’d really appreciate our boss to actually do his job, yeah?” 

 

Rhys rubs at his eyes, “Shit, sorry, yeah, my fault, yeah, I’ll be at HQ, tell Abigail to get the war room ready,” 

 

“The cute blonde?” She asks, “Yeah, I got it, great idea to turn the supply closet into a war planning room, really,” 

 

“It’s a big supply closet,” He blurts out, offended, “Just, shut up and be there, alright?” 

 

“You got it, boss,” 

 

So, Rhys shuts all the lights off in his apartment, holsters his shock baton, and slicks his hair back cleanly, and then he’s out the door in no time. 

 

He knows things are picking back up in Maliwan’s assault on Promethea as soon as he steps outside, as the light show up in the skies is brighter than ever, lasers and explosions all around. He knows what this means, Katagawa is angry, and Rhys is running out of time.

 

There’s more and more debris as he walks through the street, like the field of debris surrounding Promethea, the planet’s starting to look more like Pandora with each passing day. Green and red flash through the city, a continuing fight for domination, green, red, green, red, Maliwan, Atlas, Maliwan, Atlas. 

 

The Atlas bases on Pandora still remain untouched by Maliwan, thankfully, just the occasional bandit onslaught, all of Katagawa’s forces are dead set on taking down Atlas on Promethea. Rhys is somewhat thankful for that. 

 

A bandit tries to launch himself onto Rhys halfway through the walk, and Rhys answers with a firm, “No,” and a swift punch to the face, knocking the bandit out cold.

 

Maliwan troops aim their guns, and Rhys doesn’t even look at them, and once they realize who he is, they lower their weapons accordingly. 

 

So, up a flight of half-destroyed stairs, and a glance with the large amount of guards, and Rhys is through the entrance, the click of his heels against the marble flooring echoing loud and clear, or at least that’s what it feels like, as everyone turns their attention to him. 

 

“Sir,” A short girl with curly hair says, immediately jumping to Rhys’s side, nearly smashing right into him in the process. She holds the clipboard in her hands close to her chest, “The Pandoran Bio-dome sent out a requisition order, for better food supplies, because the security is starting to eat skags so they don’t have to eat the food,” 

 

And then a lanky man jams himself into Rhys’s personal space.

 

“Sir,” He says, “A man on Eden-6 is suing us for him accidentally blowing up his house with one of our weapons, what do I tell him?” 

 

And then another.

 

“Sir,” They say, “Zer0 was seen crashing their car into a building, and people think you ordered them to do that,” 

 

And another.

 

“Sir,” She says, “The accountants on the thirteenth floor want your opinion on the love affair between Maggie and Short-Ryan, because half of us are betting on them, but the other half are betting that it’s a cover up to hide the secret love affair between Short-Ryan and Tall-Ryan,” 

 

And another.

 

“Sir,” He says, “There’s a group of teenagers outside the downtown Meridian base who think you’re going to marry them, they’re huge fans, I’ve heard, what do I tell them to make them go away?”

 

They’re all crammed into the elevator now, with Rhys stuck in the middle. He groans, which sounds more like a whimper, and shakes his head. 

 

“First,” Rhys replies, “Tammy, give the Bio-dome what they need, we need our troops on their best behavior, not acting all weird and gross, okay?”

 

She nods.

 

“Second,” He continues, “Eric, speak to the man, reach an out-of-court settlement, if that means paying him more money than he’ll ever see in his entire life, that’s fine,”

 

He nods.

 

“And,” He rubs at his temple, “Otto, tell the press that I am not responsible for any actions carried out by Zer0, and that if they have a problem with that, they can take it up with Zer0’s sword,” 

 

They nod.

 

“Linda,” He crosses his arms, “Tell the accountants that I refuse to comment on the romantic affair between my employees, but Short-Ryan and Tall-Ryan are totally a thing,” 

 

She nods. 

 

“And Zack,” Rhys lets out a sad sigh, “Tell the teenagers that I am not available for them at all, ever, anytime, never, at all, it will never happen, don’t contact me, goodbye forever, and tell them to get out of the city, it’s a warzone, what the hell?”

 

He nods.

 

Please, god, kill Rhys, because this is already a horrible, horrible day. 

 

And once the elevator opens, all the employees disperse like a school of fish, leaving Rhys alone in the elevator. 

 

He hits the button to the floor right below his office, and waits, a small ding echoing through the walls with each passing floor. 

 

As soon as he steps out, there’s Lorelei, two cups of coffee in her hands. She shoves one of them into Rhys’s arms.

 

“Thank me later, boss, we’ve got work,” She says, and he lets out an exhale.

 

“Remind me to give you a raise later, alright?” He answers, taking a long gulp from the cup. 

 

She chuckles, and leads him through the hall, “Listen, I know it’s not my business, but,” 

 

When her voice dies off, he gives her a questioning stare, “Yeah?” 

 

“Are you doing alright? Probably a stupid question, now that I’m thinking of it,”

 

She pulls an earnest face, something rare in the business life, and Rhys appreciates it. Regardless, he thinks of dodging the question, as he usually does, but it won’t hurt to let her in just a little.

 

“Gonna be honest, here, I feel like dying,” He says, still with that clear, corporate tone, and then he takes a breath in, “Let’s just get this meeting over with,” 

 

“I feel that, Rhys,” She replies, “By the way, did you buy those little figurines for the war table, or did you make them, they’re absolutely adorable,” 

 

“Oh, uh, I,” He stutters, “Got those, uh, custom made. That’s cool, that, uh, you like them,” 

 

So, they continue walking until they reach the small door labelled ‘Supplies,’. The two security guards that normally stand outside Rhys’s office are there, and once they see their boss, they quickly cheer. 

 

“Hey, dude, what’s up?” The one on the right says, reaching across the door to smack his partner, gaining his attention, “We’re totally doing our job right now,” 

 

The one on the left nods, “Yeah, we are, don’t worry a bit, bro,” 

 

Rhys offers the two a weak smile. “Great, you two, keep it up. I’m counting on you to, uh, not let anybody else in,” 

 

When the guard on the left opens the door for the two, Lorelei takes the time to bump fists with the guard on the right, while Rhys adjusts his tie, making sure his collar is still high. 

 

It’s dark, for some reason, darker than it should, and as Lorelei and Rhys step into the room, he looks back to her, offering her a confusing stare.

 

“Forgot to tell you, boss,” Lorelei says, flicking the switch to the overhead light above the war table, “I brought along a few friends, hope you don’t mind,”

 

“I’m sure it’s,” And then he turns his head, and his eyes go wide, and be stumbles back a few feet, “Oh, my god, don’t kill me,” 

 

“Calm yourself, old man,” The Vault Hunter says, elbowing her partner to alertness, “We have work to do,” 

 

The other Vault Hunter awakes with a start, making a funny snorting sound as he exchanges a wide-eyed glance with his partner, and then to Rhys, and then he relaxes, and shrugs, “Aye, what she said,” 

 

Rhys settles down after a minute of staring. Those are the Vault Hunters that helped retake the Watershed Base, the ones that retrieved the Gigamind’s brain, weren’t there four of them? Regardless, there are two of them in his war room right now, sent from the Crimson Raiders, probably. Once the feeling of impending doom leaves him, he’s left with a hopeful feeling in his gut.

 

“Uh,” He coughs into his prosthetic fist, “Cool, yeah, sounds great, let’s uh, do that,” 

 

So, there’s the siren, and there’s the operative, Rhys learns. 

 

He’s resting over the table, staring at a flat map of Meridian, arrows drawn with red marker all over the surface.

 

Lorelei moves a tiny Crimson Lance over to the Watershed Base, knocking down the tiny Maliwan figures surrounding it.

 

“Thanks to our Vault Hunter friends, we might actually have a chance now,” She says.

 

Rhys rolls his eyes.

 

“Yeah, cool, awesome,” He rambles, “Yes, I did swear that I would help you open the vaults, or whatever, but my focus is on Maliwan, and your focus is on the Calypso Twins,” 

 

The siren raises her brow, “And, it just so happens that Maliwan and the twins are working together, so like it or not, Strongfork, our goals are intertwined,” 

 

“Did you see him squirm when we started to play hot potato with that brain?” The operative says, snickering, and the siren looks at him, hiding a chuckle with her hand.

 

Rhys hates Vault Hunters, he just learned. Fantastic.

 

So, he ignores that, and moves on. He points toward a large cluster of Maliwan troops, plastic and non-threatening, “So, as you all know, we’ve been getting our asses kicked out there, Maliwan is relentless. I want you, Lorelei, to stay defensive, we’ve lost too many people, and we can’t lose more by going offensive,” 

 

The siren puts a hand on the table, and leans in.

 

“You’re not going to get anything done by staying defensive,” She says, “Commander, you take all the troops you can, and you go,” She analyzes the map, and then points towards a large, barren part of the map, “Here,” 

 

Rhys raises a brow, “The Orbital drop zone?” He asks, dumbfounded, “That place is crawling with Maliwan, it’s suicide,” 

 

The operative takes a step forward, as he’s been leaning against the wall for the entire time. He rubs the back of his neck, and shrugs, “Gonna be honest, boss, letting that stay Maliwan territory means bad news,”

 

The siren nods, “Maliwan’s continued presence on Promethea is all centered around that delivery zone,” She says, “You take your Atlas soldiers, and you take it for yourselves,”

 

Rhys glares, “Oh, and let Maliwan stomp them? No, sorry, I’d like to keep my troops,” 

 

“Listen,” The siren says, “If you want to win, take out Maliwan’s source of supply drops, it’s not rocket science,” 

 

The commander finally picks a side.

 

“Sorry, Rhys, I’m gonna have to take the Crimson Raider’s side. We’ve been eyeing that drop zone for months, Rhys, and now’s our chance,” 

 

Rhys groans.

 

“Seriously, now you’re on their side? Really feeling the loyalty, Lorelei,” 

 

And she glares at him.

 

“Excuse me?” She growls, rightfully offended, “I’m trying to do the same thing as you, keep this bloody company alive,”

 

Rhys and Lorelei stare daggers into each other.

 

The operative butts in.

 

“No offense, but I’m two seconds away from walking out of here,”

 

The siren rolls her eyes.

 

“I understand you’re nervous, Strongfork, but continuously hiding like a coward is just going to make Maliwan come at you harder, and harder, you need to show them that you’re not gonna let them mess with you any longer,” 

 

Rhys shuts his eyes tightly, and his grip on the table tightens, nearly leaving dents. 

 

“Fine,” He replies, “Lorelei, you and, uh,” 

 

“Amara,” 

 

“Right, you and Amara, and however many troops you want, you take back the Orbital drop zone, and keep Maliwan from sending in any more supplies,” 

 

Lorelei remains wary, but she nods, “You got it,” 

 

And then Rhys sighs again.

 

“If that’s successful, then I guess I owe you.”

 

He opens his palm, projecting the shape of a vault key, and then it flickers to show a brain.

 

“The information stored on the Gigamind was fragmented, and slightly damaged, thanks for that, by the way, I’m sending the data to the two of you, you’ll probably find something relating to a vault key in there. You, uh,” He points at the operative.

 

“Flynt,” He answers, “Zane Flynt, at your service, your majesty,” 

 

“I’m sending you to an old friend of mine, he’ll be more than happy to help once I bring in another friend, Mr. Nine Million Dollars. He used to be a vault hunter, so he’s pretty good at this whole vault thing, alright?”

 

“You got it, boss,” Zane replies.

 

Amara crosses her arms.

 

“So, what’s in it for me? Since I’ll be the one to babysit your Crimson Lance.”

 

Rhys raises a brow.

 

“Guns. Lots of them.”

 

“Alright, fair enough,”

 

Rhys closes his palm, and continues.

 

“Speaking of which, there’s a radio broadcasting center Maliwan took awhile back, they’ve been blasting nothing but bad music, COV propaganda, and Maliwan ads. It’s really, really annoying, so please, please, destroy it, or something,” 

 

Zane laughs.

 

“Ah, it’s been awhile since I’ve been in the corporate landscape, nothing but petty squabbles. Brings a tear to my eye. I’ll send that to Moze and Fl4k. They’re more than enough for that sort of thing.” 

 

Rhys smiles. “Thank you.” 

 

So, that’s the end of that.

 

“Pleasure doing business with you, Atlas,” Amara says, “I’ll meet you outside, commander,”  

 

She’s the first one gone.

 

“Guess I’ll be off, then, seeya later, boss,” 

 

And then he’s gone.

 

And then, it’s just Lorelei, Rhys, and the two guards peeking through the slightly opened door.

 

Rhys leans against the table, rubbing his temple. Lorelei joins him, arms folded across her chest.

 

“What the hell was that?” She asks.

 

Rhys looks at her. “What?” 

 

“That!” She gestures to nothing, “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you stress like that,” 

 

Rhys averts his glance, casting it upon the ground, and he tenses.

 

“I just, I’m worried, Lorelei,” He mumbles.

 

“It’s more than that,” She replies, “You and your bandit bud got into a bit of drama,” 

 

He tenses even more. 

 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” He says. 

 

“What, and wait for you to start blowing up at employees over your relationship troubles? No, thanks,”

 

Zer0 and Lorelei want to help, Rhys should know this, but attempts to reach out are seen as attacks. He has his company to look out for, after all, everything else doesn’t matter.

 

“I said I don’t want to talk about it,” He repeats, this time more firm, and again, she isn’t swayed. 

 

“Get your head out of your ass,” She demands, “Stop whining, and deal with your problems like a big boy, instead of taking it out on the people that actually like you, and yes, Zer0 did tell me about that outburst back at your place, so don’t act coy with me,”

 

Rhys’s face goes red. 

 

He straightens his posture, turns back around, and places his hands back on the table, and he doesn’t spare a single glance to her. 

 

When he remains silent for too long, she lets out a sigh, and begins walking.

 

“Call me when you’re done having your tantrum,” 

 

She leaves, and the room feels darker than it was before, but Rhys doesn’t care. 

 

Again, Rhys has his company to look out for, and everything else doesn’t matter, even if it kills him, he has his company to look out for.

 

So, he makes a call.

 

“Uh, hey?” Timothy says, voice a little distorted by static, “What’s up?” 

 

“I’ve got a Vault Hunter heading your way, Tim,” Rhys replies, and he can hear Timothy sputter.

 

“Wait, what?” He barks, “I hate you,” 

 

“Yeah, I know you said you never wanted to do vault hunting again, but hey, I’ll pay you,” 

 

Timothy groans.

 

“You’re such an asshole, Rhys, fine,” Timothy finally says, “Why are you even sending them?” 

 

“You’re gonna escort him,” 

 

“To where?” 

 

“I’m sending the location to you now. You’re escorting him to a Maliwan stronghold in Ephemeris, according to somebody’s brain, a vault key will be in transit soon, find out if that’s true, and if you can, steal it.” 

 

Rhys hears Timothy make a strange sound.

 

“Ugh,” He groans, “Do I have to kill people? I put that behind me,” 

 

“Nine million dollars,” 

 

“I’m in,” 

 

“Great,”

 

Rhys hangs up on Timothy, just as Timothy is about to say something. Rhys doesn’t want to imagine what he was going to say, because Rhys doesn’t like hearing Timothy speak.

 

“Good morning, Promethea,” Tyreen Calypso sings, all through the large screen hovering over Vaughn, and the oversized crowd of Meridian refugees, “This is Tyreen Calypso, loyal god-queen of all you lovely followers,” 

 

Nobody in the crowd seems very happy to see the twins. 

 

Vaughn stands in the middle of the crowd, and once he realizes he’s too short to actually see, he begins to push through the crowd, apologizing for every bumped shoulder. 

 

“We get it,” She says, “You’re angry, pissed off at all the destruction Atlas and Maliwan are causing, your homes are destroyed, your families are torn apart,”

 

Vaughn watches expressions soften.

 

“She’s not wrong,” He hears somebody mumble.

 

“I was in your position a long time ago, lost, scared, without a home, and then I found what everyone wants and needs; A family,” 

 

Her brother stands behind her, turned in a way to show off the large, menacing prosthetic.

 

“Come be a part of something bigger, not dictated by the next big corporation. Help us by helping you, and join the Children of the Vault,” 

 

“Not like I have anything left to lose, anyway,” Somebody sighs.

 

“Atlas may want to keep you all down here where it’s ‘safe’,” Troy finally speaks up, “But it’s time to show Atlas that we’re more than customers, more than statistics,” 

 

An older woman elbows somebody next to her, “if you ask me, I’m sick of both of them,”

 

“You’re all living, breathing people, not meant to be cooped up in some underground sewer,” Tyreen announces, “So join us, head to one of our recruitment centers, and join the family, and fight for a better world,” 

 

“I never did trust Atlas,” 

 

“Those twins are both annoying assholes,” 

 

“Like I’d join some cult,” 

 

“Sounds good to me,” 

 

The whispers and mumbles continue even as the broadcast ends, and then the screen switches to an advertisement for Maliwan.

 

Appealing to the desperate, Vaughn thinks, it’s a dick move. The twins didn’t even mention the small fact that they’re working together with one of those ill-spoken corporations. Vaughn looks back at the crowd, half disgruntled, half interested, all angry, with nowhere to send their pent up rage. 

 

The crowd disperses, all talking amongst themselves, and Vaughn’s the only one left.

 

“I swear,” An Atlas soldier says, “If I have to hear one more stupid livestream, I’m going to kill myself,” 

 

Vaughn’s in the Meridian outskirts, underneath the city with the rest of the civilians, where people huddle around fires, and Atlas soldiers patrol the area. It honestly reminds Vaughn of Helios, and the confused Hyperion employees that never learned how to survive outside their corporate environment. Vaughn feels the urge to say something, do something, but Vaughn’s not a leader, and he never was one, so he keeps his mouth shut, and just continues walking.

 

Mothers comfort their crying kids, men pass the time with arm wrestling contests, and off the clock Atlas soldiers pretend to be doctors as they try their hardest to wrap people’s wounds in bandages.

 

“I can’t believe Larry left to join that stupid cult,” A teenager says, “We told him not to do it, but he did,”

 

Again, it’s classic cult behavior, acting like scavengers looking for roadkill, waiting for the predator to take the prey down, and then taking the win all for yourself. To be honest, it’s something Vaughn once did back when the Children of Helios was more than an empty set of words, it wasn’t just Ex-Hyperion, anybody looking for their spot in the world was welcomed, although Vaughn wasn’t a crazy pair of twins with a god-complex between them. At least Vaughn could say he cared about everyone in his ‘family,’ whereas Vaughn’s pretty sure those twins wouldn’t care if everyone in their ‘family,’ died horrifically, so long as they got their way.

 

People are using torn down Maliwan and Atlas flags as blankets, as anything is better than the damp concrete below them. 

 

There’s a soldier with a special kind of marking on his armor, pointing and ordering his fellow Atlas soldiers around. Vaughn guesses that that’s Skyman, the overseer of the civilians. Lorelei has mentioned him before. 

 

Vaughn finds that he doesn’t like looking at all the Atlas posters scattered around, because they remind him of what Rhys was able to accomplish all by himself. 

 

Dammit, he curses internally, stop thinking about Rhys. 

 

So, he thinks of Rhys, and curses again.

 

He’s angry at himself, mostly, for staying on Promethea, knowing it’ll only worsen his condition.

 

He’s angry at Rhys for allowing himself to remain isolated for so long, practically breaking bones underneath all the pressure.

 

But most of all, he’s angry because he can’t make himself do anything about it, because he’s just a bandit, and the bandit doesn’t win, the bandit doesn’t save the day, the bandit isn’t a leader. 

 

There’s something above the sewer, footsteps, more than there should be, loud, powerful stomps, like an army.

 

He’s not the only one that notices it, as several Atlas soldiers cluster together, warning civilians to venture deeper into the sewer for safety. Vaughn, however, isn’t a civilian, so instead of backing up, he steps forward. 

 

The television screen flickers again.

 

“Brought to you by: Maliwan,” An announcer sings, voice echoing through the cavern.

 

Soldiers get close to the door, closer than they should, and Vaughn tells himself to run.

 

But, Vaughn doesn’t.

 

“Hey,” He shouts, “Hey, hey, hey, get away from the door,” 

 

The soldiers stop in their tracks, and as they turn, there’s a blast. 

 

It’s a bomb, large enough to break a hole through the roof, dust and rubble come crashing down, and as Vaughn, coughs, and the soldiers ready their weapons, Maliwan bots land on top of the debris.

 

“Do not resist, do not resist,” One of them says.

 

“Atlas will die,” Says another. 

 

“Shit,” The leader, Skyman, screams, “Get the civilians to safety, now,” 

 

Vaughn readies his rifle, while several of the Atlas soldiers scurry towards the refugees. 

 

“Stop, in the name of the law,” One of the robots say, pointing it’s arm cannon towards the retreating soldiers. 

 

“Nope, no, no,” Vaughn yelps, unable to take another massacre, so he shoots the bot in the head, drawing it’s attention.

 

Skyman, and the rest of the Atlas forces, all take position, like a certified army should, while Vaughn stands out in the open, like a Pandoran bandit should. 

 

“Hey, idiot,” Skyman yells towards Vaughn, all the while blasting bullets into the side of one of the police bots, “Get to cover,” 

 

“Uh,” Vaughn shouts back, watching one of the robots crumble to the ground, and then he has to start scurrying before he gets shot by the other six robots. “No thanks, I’m good,”

 

And then Vaughn thinks of something, the EMP that he never gave back to Rhys. 

 

“Skyman, we’ve gotta fall back,” One of the soldiers cry out, the only thing in his hand being a small pistol. 

 

“Uh, how about you don’t?” Vaughn says, answering for Skyman, “If we start running now, that means we’ve got six crazy robots chasing after us, trust me on this, just give them all you got,” 

 

“Uh,” Skyman stutters, “Yeah, listen to the bandit-guy,” 

 

“I am not gonna die today,” Another Atlas soldier says, backing away, “I’ve actually got a life,” 

 

Wow, these guys are absolute wimps, Vaughn realizes. 

 

“Have fun with that,” Vaughn shouts to him, “We’ll just be here, actually being useful,” 

 

“Oh, sick burn,” The scrawniest of the soldiers squeaks, a comically large shotgun in his arms. 

 

Vaughn remembers finding the Atlas soldiers to be menacing, in their Crimson Lance armor, however he’s just learned that they’re all losers, so that’s a fun realization. 

 

However, he’s brought out of his thought bubble once one of the bots grabs a yelping Skyman, kicking and screaming. That’s Vaughn’s time to act. 

 

“You will be arrested, and by arrested, I mean you will die,” The robot blares, and then smashes Skyman against the wall, nearly breaking right through it, and then it stops, right as Skyman’s about to scream, “Die, die, die,” It glitches out, repeating and repeating, and then it’s grip loosens.

 

“Thank me later,” Vaughn says, leaving the EMP to do its job, watching the robot drop Skyman to the ground, leaving him shaking. 

 

Thankfully, the EMP was enough to send the rest of the robots stumbling and stuttering, which makes them easy to dispose of, one by one. 

 

So, as the rest of the soldiers regroup, and Vaughn holsters his rifle on his back, he offers a hand to Skyman, who’s still quivering.

 

“Uh, hey, I’m Vaughn,” 

 

Skyman hesitates for a second, but eventually takes Vaughn’s hand, and seems surprised as Vaughn easily pulls him onto his feet.

 

“Skyman, uh, lieutenant Skyman, you saved my ass,” 

 

“Yeah, I definitely did do that,” 

 

Vaughn looks back at the refugees being shielded, and then back to Skyman. 

 

“What are you going to do with them?” Vaughn asks, and Skyman shakes his head.

 

“I have no idea. Usually, I’ve got the commander to help, but she’s out on business,” 

 

Vaughn retrieves his EMP generator, placing it back where it belongs.

 

“I should probably call the general, he’ll want to know about this,” Skyman says, “Uh, you seem like you know how to handle yourself, do you feel like sticking around?” 

 

The general?

 

Vaughn does the math in his head, and realizes he’s talking about Rhys.

 

Dammit.

 

He internally yells, but externally, he smiles.

 

“Yeah, sure,” 

 

Vaughn doesn’t want to stick around for that, however, so he approaches the crowd, watching the soldier’s terrible attempts to calm them down.

 

“Hey,” He calls, drawing everyone’s attention, and then he’s got a spotlight on him, and he starts to stutter, a sudden surge of nervousness stabbing through his guts, “Uh, listen, uh,” 

 

“Is that a bandit?” A woman says.

 

“He did kill those robots pretty good,” Another adds.

 

“Listen,” Vaughn repeats, finally finding something in him that he lost long ago, “We don’t know if Maliwan is going to send backup, and I think the rest of you don’t want to risk heading outside,” He points further into the crowd, where the tunnel deeper into the sewer lies, “We continue through there, wherever it leads, we stay quiet, and stay together,” 

 

“Who made you leader?” One of the Atlas troops remarks, Vaughn recognizes the voice as the soldier that tried to run away from the fight.

 

Vaughn raises a brow.

 

“I just did, actually, so get used to that, loser,”

 

Meanwhile, Rhys wants to die.

 

Rhys answers the call, and he rubs the bridge of his nose.

 

“Hey, uh, boss?” Skyman says.

 

“What is it?” Rhys says, leaning back in his office chair.

 

“So, this sucks, but Maliwan just attacked us,” 

 

Rhys punches the desk, and definitely leaves a dent, because that’s his metallic fist.

 

“Is everyone okay?” He asks, voice strained and quiet.

 

“Actually, yeah, everyone survived, I was a goner, but this bandit guy saved me,” 

 

“Bandit guy?” 

 

“Yeah! All the soldiers were about to run, but he stayed behind, and saved my life, he’s actually, uh, really cool,” Skyman chuckles, but Rhys doesn’t laugh.

 

Rhys doesn’t laugh because deep down, he knows who it is.

 

“He’s saying we should head deeper into the sewers,” 

 

Rhys nearly chokes on nothing.

 

“Deeper into the city, are you crazy? Get them out of the sewer, and somewhere safer,” 

 

“Yeah, uh, hold on,” 

 

“Hey,” Skyman shouts, and Vaughn whips around, “Boss says that going deeper into the sewer is stupid,” 

 

Vaughn glares.

 

“Tell your ‘boss,’ that leaving the sewer is a stupid idea,” 

 

“He said that’s stupid,” Skyman says.

 

“Are you kidding me?” Rhys yelps, “Skyman, get them out of the sewer, now.” 

 

“Could just be that he’s way hotter than you, but I think I should listen to him,” 

 

Vaughn’s sure he hears someone screaming right before Skyman hangs up. 

 

“Alright, Vaughn,” He says, “You’re the leader,” 

 

“Great,” Vaughn replies, and begins to make his way through the crowd, again apologizing for every bumped shoulder, while Skyman simply barrels through the crowd, and the rest of the Atlas troops stay behind.

 

“So, do you have, like, a map of the sewer system?” Vaughn eventually asks, turning his head to Skyman.

 

He shakes his head, “Nope, sorry,” 

 

“Well, shit,” Vaughn replies bluntly, but then gets a lightbulb, “Hey, actually,” 

 

Vaughn ends up texting Zer0.

 

‘Hey, you’re like, totally secretive and mysterious, you totally have a map of the sewer system on hand, right?’  

 

He gets a response immediately, surprisingly, along with an attached image.

 

‘Of course I do Vaughn,/though the reasoning why you/need it, I don't know’ 

 

Thank god for Zer0. 

 

“I’m thinking,” Skyman says, “That we can bring the civilians to the Watershed Base. It’s in downtown Meridian,” 

 

“Here,” Vaughn replies, showing the map, “You figure that out,” 

 

“Oh, thanks,” Skyman answers. 

 

So, Vaughn leads the civilians through the sewers, while Skyman tells him where to turn, less like a bandit, and more like a leader, the father of Helios, as the Ex-Hyperion stooges called him, much to his chagrin. 

 

For some reason, he finds himself thinking, ‘Screw you, Rhys, I can handle myself,’ 

 

And for once, Vaughn believes the voice in his head. 

 

Everyone makes it out okay, and while the rest of Atlas helps the civilians settle into the Watershed base, Vaughn sits outside, watching the light show up above the city, red and blue lasers followed by explosion after explosion. Vaughn has to admit, from far away, the view’s actually beautiful. 

 

And then, he remembers. 

 

‘Holy crap,’ Vaughn once shrieked, ‘Vault hunters,’ 

 

Click, click, click, and nothing came out of the SMG in his hands, so he awkwardly chuckled and tossed it aside, pretending he did nothing wrong. 

 

One was a siren, one had a cocky smirk, one was clearly too young to be there, one was bigger than them all, and one was packing some serious heat. 

 

All of them had their guns pointed at Vaughn’s face, and then the last of the group stood up, slim and intimidating. 

 

‘Woah,’ Vaughn gasped, ‘Zer0! How’ve you been, bro? What’s up?’ 

 

The youngest member is the first to lower her gun. 

 

‘You know this guy?’ She had said, ‘Or should I mess his face up,’ 

 

Vaughn cowered. 

 

‘Let’s not get all shooty, aha, at me,’ He whimpered, ‘Oh, yeah, me and Zer0 go way back, right, bro?’ 

 

‘You're Fiona's friend, the one that shot the cannon, too early. Big mess.’ Zer0 replied. 

 

‘Hey, hey, that totally wasn’t my fault, dude, I was trying to help,’ Vaughn said, ‘And it totally ended up a-okay, right?’

 

‘This man’s totally ripped,’ The cocky one mumbled, elbowing the siren. 

 

‘Question,’ The siren asked, ‘Where the hell are we,’ 

 

‘And, uh, who are you?’ The teenager added. 

 

So he threw his arms out, and gave that big bandit greeting, and that was how Vaughn met the Vault Hunters. 

 

He learned the rest of their names eventually. 

 

He was the annoying bandit tagalong, the one nobody listened to, the joke, they took over his base, the only thing he had left, and called it their own, the Backburner. 

 

‘Step back if you don’t want bandit blood on you,’ Vaughn didn’t know her at the time, but it was Ellie, pointing a shotgun at his chest.

 

‘Nonono, uncool, don’t do that,’ He cried, recoiling in horror, ‘It’s fine, it’s fine, you can stay,’ 

 

He was the joke, the bandit nobody took seriously, because he never had anything worthwhile to say. The old Vaughn would’ve been useful, the old Vaughn could’ve helped, but the old Vaughn was gone, locked behind a prison cell labelled ‘Bad Leader,’. So, Vaughn lived that lie in the Backburner, surrounded by people that didn’t care if he lived or died, just the noticeable pimple on somebody’s face, it’s too much trouble to pop, but god, is it annoying.

 

Vaughn remembers the lanky guy, Mordecai, infected and dying, and all the faces around him sobbing their eyes out. He didn’t care, because he didn’t know Mordecai, and they never cared about what he lost. They searched for a cure, and Vaughn stayed at the bottom, drinking with the woman that had googly eyes for him. 

 

‘I miss him,’ He sobbed.

 

‘We all miss somebody, sugar,’ The woman replied, pouring him another drink. 

 

And then, one night, when everyone else was saving the world, Vaughn heard crying. He followed the sound, and the source was the little girl, younger than the high schooler Vault Hunter, and Vaughn hadn’t really spoken with her before, he thought her name was ‘Dina,’. Mordecai was sleeping, or maybe he was dead, Vaughn, again, didn’t really care, but for some reason, something told him to ask her what was wrong. 

 

‘Uh,’ He stammered, ‘Hi? You probably don’t know who I am, but, uh, hi, I’m Vaughn, I’m-’ 

 

The little girl rubbed at her face, and then pushed Vaughn away. 

 

‘Leave me alone, weirdo,’ 

 

He wondered who the hell would leave a kid all alone on a place like Pandora. 

 

She sat down at the edge of the deck, feet dangling, and Vaughn didn’t listen to her.

 

He sat next to her, and offered a listening ear.

 

‘Worried about your friend, huh?’ He asked. 

 

She sniffled, and made a sound of agreement, pathetic and broken. 

 

That tiny sound changed everything, because Vaughn remembered how to empathize. He found himself caring for Mordecai’s safety now, too. 

 

‘Hey, it’ll be alright,’ He murmured, ‘Your friend looks pretty badass, I’m sure he’ll pull through,’ 

 

She remained unconvinced, and she kept crying, trying her hardest to hide her face. 

 

This wasn’t the Vaughn that allowed a bunch of bandits to jump off a cliff assuming it’d be fine, it’s the Vaughn that would give everything to protect his friends.

 

He still didn’t know her name. 

 

‘I, uh, I know what it’s like,’ He croaked out, ‘To be worried, about somebody, it sucks,’ She finally looked at him, staring like nobody had ever said that to her before, ‘Don’t tell anybody, but, uh, I really miss my bandit crew. I mean, they weren’t really bandits, I just gave them laser pointers, but they, they were my people, and I was supposed to look out for them, and, y’know, they died, and I couldn’t save them,’ And then he stutters, ‘But, you, your buddy, you’ve got a group of people that are out there right now finding a cure, right? Your friends got a better chance than mine, is all I’m saying,’ 

 

She began to look around, and the two of them watched the periodical fire show at the gate entrance. 

 

‘I like the flamethrowers,’ She said, voice weak, ‘They’re mad cool,’ 

 

‘Oh, uh, thanks, uh, you?’ 

 

‘My name’s Tina,’ 

 

‘Oh, then, thanks, Tina,’ He remembered the thing Rhys always told him when he’s start panicking, so he put a hand on her shoulder, and said, ‘Just slow down, and you’ll be okay,’ 

 

She tensed, and then relaxed, and then sobbed harder. 

 

He stayed with her for the rest of the night.

 

That was his first wake-up call to ditch the one-dimensional personality he built for himself.

 

And now, Vaughn finds something he thought he lost long ago. 

 

He sits, watching the light show above the skyscrapers, and remembers that he can be a leader, as long as he tries, he can. 

 

A friend, an accountant, a coward, a leader, a bandit, and back to a friend. 

  
  
Rhys finds himself looking into the eye staring back at him, at the top of the trophy shelf, taunting him, whether or not Handsome Jack is in there, it's taunting him.


	10. King Rhys’s Throne Crumbles Under The Slightest Scrutiny, And Why It Destroys Him,

Rhys falls asleep at his desk. He wasn’t even tired, actually, he just wanted to do something to pass the time, something that doesn’t require living a life. 

 

He doesn’t know why, but he feels so, so angry. It’s a black hole in his stomach, it’s pure hatred, and he’s not too sure why. He’s noticed that, actually, he’s getting angrier and angrier with each passing day. 

 

And then, he’s not angry, he’s not too sure what he’s feeling now. He knows where he is, he’s where he should be, in his office, with that window view of Pandora, no, that’s not right, but it’s there, looming like a death sentence, it’s Pandora, staring back at him like an eye in a trophy shelf. He recognizes it as his office, however, because that’s what dreams do. There’s a horrible taste in his mouth. 

 

When he looks down at his hand, it’s Hyperion yellow, the standard, he didn’t get to pick the color. He remembers waking up in the middle of surgery, he remembers looking at nothing but red, and he remembers screaming until the doctor knocked him out again, ‘Stop screaming,’ the doctor snapped, a vice-like grip on his shoulder, ‘Shut up,’ and then it was black again, and then he woke up, and he was finally special in the sea of suits and ties. He remembers his mother hasn’t seen him in years, and that she has no idea what he’s done to his body, it’s not her fault, he says, it’s not her fault. He remembers the last thing his father said to him was, ‘Good luck, loser,’ his father never understood, he never would, he was going to be a bigshot someday, he was going to rule the world, neither of his parents understood, and then he left for college, and that was the last time he saw his parents, because he was scooped up right after by Hyperion.

 

Hyperion, that’s the company, the company with Handsome Jack posters plastered against the walls, Pandora needs you, Vault Hunters wanted, that smile that was always made to look so much more kinder than in person, it’s Hyperion, and it’s Helios, Rhys sees that he’s in Jack’s office, but he recognizes it as his office, and he doesn’t know why he wants to vomit. The view is beautiful though. ‘We can rule together,’ Jack said, ‘What do you say, kid?’ and Rhys’s voice was gone, his voice came out like a faint croak, and he said, ‘No,’ and then Jack ruined his life, ‘I am Helios,’ he screamed, and then Rhys ruined his life, ‘You and Jack ruined our lives,’ she said, and she was right, she was always right, and that’s why Rhys couldn’t stand her sometimes. 

 

Vaughn always made him feel special, he could always say the perfect thing to ward the pain away. He always liked Vaughn’s smile, his kind eyes, he remembers liking how long and messy his goatee got while on Pandora. 

 

Why is he thinking of that? He’s the CEO of Hyperion, just like he always dreamed, right?

 

No, that’s not right, he crushed Hyperion underneath the heel of his boot, right? He did that, he remembers, why is he so upset? He’s gotten everything he ever wanted, he shouldn’t be sad, he shouldn’t be so angry, ‘How many people do you think were on Helios, huh?’ He didn’t do that, he didn’t mean to, he had to, he meant to do it, he had to destroy Helios to stop him, it was a last resort, ‘This is what success looks like,’ no, that’s not right, stop thinking that, it’s not, he’s fixing everything, he’s not Jack, he doesn’t need Jack. 

 

No more dread, no more fear, it’ll be okay, Helios crashed to the ground long ago, it’s okay, that’s what Vaughn would say, listen to the fake Vaughn, that’s what he would say, he’ll be okay, Jack can’t do anything, because he’s locked away forever, captive and isolated, because that’s what he deserves, why does he keep the eye? It’s brought him nothing but misery, why does he keep it? Is it a keepsake? A prison? It’s garbage, is what it is, nothing but garbage, worthless. 

 

He remembers telling Katagawa about it, and he remembers being drunk out of his mind, and he remembers sobbing so hard he nearly vomited, and he remembers Katagawa stroking his back, like Katagawa actually cared, but that was before Katagawa declared war on Atlas.

 

Atlas, that’s it, that’s his company, he’s the CEO of Atlas. Why does that make him so angry? 

 

He’s tired, and he’s confused, and he leans back in his office chair, ignoring Pandora staring through the window. 

 

‘Rhys,’ Jack says, and Rhys can’t see him, ‘Rhys,’ 

 

It sounds like pleading, like he’s on his knees, ‘Please don’t send me back there,’ it’s pleading, why is he pleading? Shut up, shut up, shut up, it’s so annoying.

 

Baby blue ones and zeroes reach out and take the lapels of Rhys’s coat, dragging him closer, ‘Rhys, please,’ shaking him, shaking him, ‘Tell me you need me, you need me, you need me, you’re nothing without me, please, say it,’ 

 

Rhys doesn’t need Jack, he never did, why did he trust Jack? He told Jack that they weren’t friends, they weren’t buddies, they weren’t a team, he’s nothing without Jack, no that’s not true, don’t believe that.

 

‘Rhys, you can’t do this alone,’ He begs, he should sound angry, he should look scary, he’s a monster, but he’s begging, desperate, on the brink of crying, ‘You need me,’ 

 

Rhys wants to vomit.

 

“Get away from me,” Rhys screams, “Go back to being dead,”

 

He ripped his body parts out, and he’d do it again, whatever it takes to keep him away, but it’s not Jack, it’s not really Jack, if it was, Rhys would be dead, face purple, neck bruised, but he’s not, so it’s not the real Jack. 

 

He’s having a conversation with a disembodied voice, because Jack isn’t really there, but he knows he can see the hands, gripping into the hex pattern of his vest, he can see them, but there’s no body.

 

Vaughn’s not here to save him again.

 

‘Rhys, please,’ Jack cries, ‘Please,’ 

 

He doesn’t need Jack, he never needed Jack, he was just a parasite, a leech, it’s not a joke, he needs to stop laughing, who is laughing, it’s not Rhys, who is Rhys? ‘This is my body,’ Rhys once hissed, hand wrapping around his wrist, ‘Stop it,’ 

 

‘Rhys, please,’ 

 

Rhys isn’t Jack, Rhys doesn’t need Jack, Jack was never welcomed. 

 

‘Rhys, please, sir,’ 

 

It’s not Jack, it’s not him, but it is, it’s Jack, and he needs to die, because if he dies, Jack dies too, he’ll rip his body parts off over and over again if it means those ones and zeroes in his head are mutilated just a little bit more.

 

‘You and Jack ruined our lives, you and Jack ruined our lives, you and Jack ruined our lives,’ 

 

He’s not Jack, stop saying he is, he’ll never be Jack, shut up, shut up, tell the voice to shut up.

 

He’ll keep Jack locked away forever, because nobody should ever have to deal with him ever again. 

 

‘Of all the people Handsome Jack could be appearing to, it just so happens to be the guy who’s totally obsessed with him,’ Jack glared at him, in that desert, he glared, ‘Are you obsessed with me?’ Jack was the baddest of them all, and Rhys was going to be just like him, Vaughn always thought the posters were weird, but they were motivational. He was going to rule Hyperion, they all were, Vaughn, him, and Yvette.

 

‘They wanted something in his brain,’ Yvette said to Rhys, wearing Vasquez’s face, she was going to sell him out, Vaughn was going to sell him out, no, they weren’t, it’s not what he thinks, it’s fine.

 

“Sir, please,” It’s not Jack, but he thinks he is, he’s being shaken, shaken, shaken, his head is pounding, and there’s an awful taste in his mouth. 

 

‘You’re way better at killing people than I am,’ 

 

Shut up, shut up, shut up.

 

‘Sir,’ 

 

Hyperion, Atlas, it’s all the same. He’s in charge now, he’s the king, and he’ll do anything to keep it that way. God help anybody that gets in his way.

 

Who is he, again? It’s sort of hard to tell, actually, who is Rhys? 

 

‘Wake up,’ 

 

He sees himself on the top floor of a skyscraper, arms resting on the guard rail keeping him from falling, and next to him, Handsome Jack smiles, and one side of his face is drowning in the neon lights of the city below them, blinking, shining, gleaming, green light, red light, blue light, a sea of lights crashing beneath them. 

 

‘Having fun playing monster?’ 

 

He hides his face in his hands, unable to respond.

 

‘Wake up,’

 

So, he does, and he does it screaming. 

 

Abigail has her hand on Rhys’s shoulder, so kind and comforting, and she’s wearing that concerned look on her face, the one she’d always wear when Rhys would head out too early, or come in too late. She purses her lips, and leans in.

 

“Rhys,” She says, “Thank god, are you alright?” 

 

Rhys feels like he’s going to pass out. 

 

“Ah,” Is the only sound he makes, and he realizes his collar is choking him, his tie is too tight, it’s going to kill him. 

 

“Come on,” She whispers, taking Rhys’s arm, “We should get you to the doctor,” 

 

She’s always worried about him, Rhys realizes. He doesn’t want people to worry about him. 

 

“I’m fine,” He croaks, “Really,” 

 

“I don’t believe that,” She replies, surprisingly strong as she pulls him from his seat, although Rhys never did weigh that much, so it could be that, “You’ve said that over and over again, and each time you look worse and worse, and no offense, sir, but you look like death, and I’m not taking no for an answer, so come on,” 

 

“I’ve got a job to do, Abigail,” He groans, “I can’t get distracted,”

 

She stares at him, she opens her mouth, then closes, and averts her gaze. 

 

“What?” 

 

“Sir, you haven’t answered any of your calls, you haven’t checked any of your mail, and I’m pretty sure all you’ve done is sit in your office,” 

 

He makes a funny sound in his throat. 

 

“Listen, if you need a rest, sir, I can take over for awhile, it’s fine,” 

 

“You’re a secretary,” Rhys states, “You think you can do my job?”

 

“I’ve been doing your job for the past few days, since you’re too busy to actually do it,” She snaps back.

 

And still, she’s helping him through the corridor, and Rhys isn’t sure why. 

 

“Sorry,” Rhys replies, looking down.

 

“It’s fine,” She says, definitely lying. 

 

When they pass by the two security guards, they’re preoccupied with a game of cards. When one of them takes notice of Abigail and Rhys, he speaks up.

 

“Hey, uh, is the boss okay?” 

 

Rhys is about to speak, but Abigail cuts him off, “Oh, yeah, Rhys is just feeling kind of sick, he’ll be fine. You two keep having fun, alright?” 

 

The other security guards waves her off, “You got it, ma’am,” He says, and the two return to their cards. 

 

Rhys grumbles, but Abigail persists, dragging him into the elevator. He immediately sinks backwards, leaning against the wall as she picks the right floor.

 

“You don’t have to babysit me,” Rhys says, and she crosses her arms.

 

“Yeah, sure. I’m doing this because if I don’t, you most likely won’t help yourself,” 

 

She has a point, but Rhys is still mad about it.

 

“Also, I think you’ll be glad to know that Mr. Katagawa hasn’t sent any ‘gifts’ recently,” 

 

“Great,” Rhys deadpans, “Hopefully he finally realized how creepy he is,” 

 

“He does send pretty good fruit-baskets, to be honest. I eat some of it sometimes,” 

 

“You know he could poison those, right?” 

 

Abigail shrugs, “I don’t think Katagawa would do that. I’ve worked with you for awhile, Rhys, I remember all those times Katagawa came into your office, you looked happy to see him,”

 

“You don’t know him like I do, then. He’s a dangerous asshole,”

 

“A dangerous asshole that sends cards and fruit-baskets?” 

 

“Yeah,” 

 

Rhys is certain he sees something blue in the corner of his eye, but he ignores it. 

 

“Sir, I know it’s not really my business, but what have you been up to?” Abigail asks, “You seemed pretty happy when you had that friend around, uh, whatever his name is,” 

 

Rhys pauses, his body tensing, and then he sighs.

 

“Vaughn,” He answers, rushing each word, “His name’s Vaughn, and we aren’t friends, not anymore,” 

 

“Do you have any actual friends?” Abigail bluntly asks, and it catches Rhys off guard, “I don’t mean to be rude, sir, but you’ve been pushing everybody away for years, and then the second somebody actually likes visiting you, and talking to you, suddenly you hate the guy?” 

 

“I don’t hate him,” Rhys blurts out, and now he’s glaring, “I can’t focus on friends, alright? I have my company, I have this stupid war, and I have to do my job, can you stop talking about this?” 

 

She sighs, and shakes her head, “Yes, sir,” She replies, clasping her hands together, and resuming her business-y appearance, with shoulders squared, “I just don’t agree with your ideals, is all. My girlfriend and I have been together for years, ever since I came to Promethea, and she’s always been there to keep me grounded, you know? I think if you had your rock, you’d feel a lot happier,” 

 

“Stop. Talking.” 

 

“I don’t get to talk much, sir, I’m just making up for lost time,” 

 

She tucks a few strands of hair behind her ear, and she exchanges a glance with Rhys. She doesn’t say anything, thankfully, so Rhys doesn’t have to speak either. Why is Rhys so angry? He still doesn’t know why. 

 

When the elevator opens, Rhys and Abigail bump shoulders with a cluster of suits and ties, but they both pass through, and she takes charge, leading Rhys through a corridor.

 

He remembers when he first realized that with all the experimenting happening in HQ, they should probably hire an on site doctor. 

 

While Rhys’s eyes are cast on the ground, he notices how loud Abigail’s heels click against the tiled floor. It’s just a miniscule detail, however he finds himself focusing on it, while everything else around him turns to static. 

 

The doctor, Clements, shines a light into Rhys’s human eye, and now Rhys already regrets allowing Abigail to boss him around. 

 

“You look like shit,” Clements says, and Rhys thinks the man’s voice sounds like gravel, “When was the last time you slept?” 

 

Rhys rubs the back of his neck.

 

“I’ve been sleeping, just not well,” 

 

Clements pauses for a moment, and then nods, “Is there a reason for that?” 

 

Rhys averts his gaze, and suddenly he feels embarrassed, “Bad dreams,” He answers, not elaborating.

 

“Nightmares? Yeah, those are a bitch,” Clements takes Rhys’s chin and tilts his face, analyzing, but Rhys just glares at him, “Definitely looks like you haven’t slept in years. When was the last time you ate?”

 

Rhys shrugs.

 

“You’re a bit of an idiot, huh?” Clements adds, dropping his arms, and Rhys’s eyes widen, “You’re supposed to keep yourself alive, y’know? You’re a grown man, act like it,” 

 

“I’ve been doing my best,” Rhys replies, “Yeah, I haven’t been doing well, but I kind of have a solid reason,” 

 

“Solid reason my ass,” Clements snaps, “There’s no reason for not taking care of yourself.”

 

Rhys adjusts his collar, and Clements catches that. 

 

“What?” Rhys says, noticing Clements staring. 

 

Clements reaches out, and Rhys nearly grabs his hand, and he starts to lean back. “Hey, hey, stop,” He warns. 

 

“Stop whining,” Clements says, grabbing Rhys’s shoulder and yanking him closer.

 

Rhys is screaming internally, as Clements pulls his collar down, scratching against his neck, stop, stop touching him, stop. He starts breathing a little bit heavier. 

 

“That’s definitely a handprint,” Clements muses, “Real nasty bruises, too. I’m not gonna ask,” 

 

Rhys is glad for that.

 

“Can you stop looking at my neck now?” Rhys snaps, pulling away from the doctor, and he quickly fixes his collar, “It’s really weird,” 

 

Clements raises a brow.

 

“I’m a fucking doctor, moron. It’s my job to check you idiots for injuries,” 

 

Rhys can’t argue with that, but he really wants to. 

 

“Yeah, I get it,” Clements continues, taking a clipboard, “Everyone’s stressed, everyone’s on edge, everyone is real fucking antsy, but if you make one slip-up because you’re not taking care of yourself, everyone’s going to feel it.” 

 

“So what am I supposed to do?” Rhys asks, and the doctor shrugs.

 

“In my medical opinion, take a fucking vacation, or something. Just looking at you makes me sad.”

 

“We are in the middle of a war, doc,” Rhys answers, “I don’t think a vacation is on the table,” 

 

“I ain’t saying take the entire goddamn month off, I’m just saying take a couple days off to clear your head, or something. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that you really, really need it.”

 

“You’re telling me stuff I already know, doc,” Rhys replies, waving him off, “Can I go now?” 

 

“Hold the fuck on,” Clements growls, writing something down on his clipboard, “I’m writing you a list of shit to do to deal with those nightmares. There’s no cure-all for those, but there are things you can do to help with them. I ain’t asking for details, but I recommend you try a few of them out,” 

 

Rhys sneers, “What, like get a night-light? I’m not a child,” 

 

Clements unclips the paper, folding it and then shoving it into Rhys’s face, “No, you’re the CEO of a multi-billion corporation, and I’d like to keep it that way, without you having some sort of mental breakdown, which seems to be a common with you sort,” 

 

As Rhys takes the paper, he glares even harder, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

Clements shrugs, “I don’t know, I’m just a fucking doctor, my opinion totally doesn’t matter at all,” Rhys watches him lean back, and fall into an office chair, “Alright, get out of my office, I’ve got a bunch of injured scientists to treat,”

 

Rhys looks to the paper, and then to Clements, unable to say anything back. So, he scoots off the examination table and starts to shuffle out of the room.

 

“Alright, uh, I’m gonna, uh, do my job, since I have to do that, since it’s my job, uh, bye,”

 

And as soon as he walks out of the office, and past the waiting room of employees, he crumples the paper in his fist, and shoves it into the pocket inside his vest. He doesn’t need some patronizing doctor telling him what to do, he knows what he has to do, he needs to actually do his goddamn job.

 

When he returns to his office, Abigail gives him a funny look, and he doesn’t look at her.

 

He takes a seat in his throne, and plays king for another day.

  
  


“Don’t wrap it too tightly,” Vaughn warns, watching the Atlas soldier wrapping a civilian’s arm up, “You don’t want to cut off circulation,” 

 

“Uh, right,” The Atlas soldier nods, and tries again. 

 

The civilian winces, but Vaughn gives her a pat on the shoulder, and she starts to smile.

 

“Hey, bandit,” A scout says, holding a bottle up, “Over here,” 

 

When Vaughn turns around, he notices the scout is sitting amongst several other Atlas troops, including Skyman, so, Vaughn joins the group, giving him a weird look. 

 

“Are you guys drinking?” Vaughn asks, “Yeah, great idea,” 

 

Skyman laughs, and shakes his head, “No, it’s just Joshy over there, he just got back from Uptown Warehouse,” 

 

Joshy, the scout, raises the bottle again and cheers, “Maliwan attacked, and I didn’t freaking die, fuck Maliwan,” 

 

The group of soldiers all repeat his words, shouting, “Fuck Maliwan,” 

 

Vaughn takes a seat with the troops, and they all resume their chatter.

 

“Bandit guy,” One of them says, and Vaughn rolls his eyes.

 

“Vaughn,” He says, “My name is Vaughn,” 

 

The soldier nods, “Alright, uh, Vaughn. You’ve heard of the boss, right? We’ve been talking about him,” 

 

Another one of them, who has her mask discarded revealing a head of ginger hair, speaks up, “Skyman’s the only one who’s actually met him in person,” 

 

This is weird.

 

Skyman shrugs, “He’s actually not that tall. He looks so lanky in the pictures,” 

 

“Did you hear that him and that assassin dude opened a vault a couple years ago?” 

 

“Bullshit, everyone knows that you die if you try opening one of those,” 

 

“No, really, he did! They made a movie about it,” 

 

“Nobody watches movies anymore, York,”

 

“I do,” 

 

“Shut up, Rocky,” 

 

This is really, really weird.

 

“Me and Rhys used to be best friends,” Vaughn blurts out, and suddenly everyone is staring at him.

 

“You’re lying,” 

 

“The boss actually has friends?”

 

He’s put on the spot, so he panics.

 

“I mean, uh, yeah, we knew each other in college, and we worked at the same company, and, uh,”

 

“Did he always have the mustache?” 

 

“No,” Vaughn answers, “The mustache is new,” 

 

“People say that him and the Maliwan guy are secretly a couple, and this war is just a cover-up,” 

 

“That’s stupid, Adeline, that’s literally the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” 

 

This is really, really, really weird. 

 

“I heard that he spends more money on shampoo than war efforts,” 

 

Well, that sounds believable. 

 

This is the sort of thing Vaughn thought he’d never see, a group of people gossiping about his friend, and all they see him as is their boss, the CEO, the leader, and that is the weirdest thing he’s ever seen. To these people, he’s more of a statue than an actual person, Vaughn finally realizes that Rhys is at the same level as Handsome Jack.

 

What the hell?

 

“Do you think he wears a wig?” Adeline says, cutting Vaughn’s thoughts off. 

 

“What?” Skyman asks.

 

“I mean, his hair always looks so perfect, there’s no way it’s legit,” 

 

“No,” Vaughn blurts out, “He just spends a lot of time on his hair,” 

 

“How would you know?” Adeline asks, and Vaughn leans back in his seat.

 

“Because, like I said, we knew each other in college, hell, we were roommates for years. His hair is naturally curly, but he always keeps it gelled back. He thinks it makes him look more formal,” 

 

Skyman laughs. “I mean, he’s right. I think he’s pretty hot,” 

 

“You think every guy you meet is hot, Skyman,” Adeline snaps back, and Skyman laughs harder.

 

Vaughn thinks Skyman’s right about that, but he’d never say that out loud.

 

“I remember when I first saw the boss, before I joined up with Atlas, and I was like ‘Is that Handsome Jack’s secret brother?’ and I thought that for the longest time,”

 

Vaughn tenses, and he looks down, because he knows the truth. He doesn’t speak up, though, because he knows how much Rhys wants to forget that. 

 

“Hey, at least Rhys cares if we die,” Skyman says, “I think. Handsome Jack thought everyone was expendable, and Rhys was the one to make the call to keep the civilians safe,” 

 

“What kind of name is Rhys anyways? He sounds like a rich jackass,” 

 

“The man’s last name is Strongfork. I feel bad for him,” 

 

“I feel like the commander would do a better job than him,” 

 

“The commander? She’s way better at killing bad guys than the boss, of course she’d do better at his job, just imagine her walking right up to Maliwan and shooting that one guy in the face,” 

 

“What about you, Vaughn?” Skyman pipes up, and Vaughn’s dragged out of his mind.

 

“Huh, wha?” He stutters, and he watches Skyman lean forward.

 

“You knew the boss, what’d you think of him?” 

 

Vaughn opens his mouth, and then closes it. It takes awhile for him to answer. 

 

He shakes his head, and sighs.

 

“I had the biggest crush on him,” He says, and most of the soldiers are taken aback, “He was this cool, suave dude that liked all the things I liked, and he was funny, and smart, and strong,” He pauses, “Maybe not, like, physically strong, but strong. He’d always get so mad when somebody would start picking on me, he was always like that,” Vaughn’s actually smiling, “I really, really liked him, but,”

 

He knows he shouldn’t be saying any of this, but now that he’s started, he can’t stop.

 

“I remember when we first landed on Pandora, and this guy was threatening me with a meat cleaver! And he just got in front of me like he didn’t even care that the guy could’ve just killed him right there! Even when I,” He shouldn’t elaborate, “Made a bad decision, he just forgave me a second later, he stuck with me through the end,” 

 

Joshy takes a long, long sip from his bottle, and when he parts from it, he burps.

 

“What changed?” He asks. 

 

Again, Vaughn is quiet for awhile.

 

“I guess, uh, once he got Atlas, we just drifted apart. I stayed on Pandora, and he went to Promethea to start building the company back up. He’s got a life, and I,” 

 

“Saved my ass,” Skyman finishes for him.

 

“Ain’t a total wimp,” Joshy snickers, and Adeline elbows him. 

 

“You should go make out with the boss,” Joshy says, “I bet he’s the one that takes it,” 

 

Vaughn’s face goes red.

 

“Seriously, Joshy?” Rocky snaps, nearly hitting him, “That’s disgusting,” 

 

“Who knows if the boss even likes guys,” York says.

 

“Have you seen those suits he wears? No way he’s straight,” 

 

Vaughn’s face goes even redder. 

 

Adeline taps her arm, “Have you seen that cybernetic arm he has? Imagine all that he could lift, I bet he’s the one that gives, even if he’s a scrawny twig,”

 

“You guys are so gross,” Skyman intervenes, “Cut it out, alright?” 

 

“Hey, Vaughn, what do you think?” Adeline ignores him.

 

And then they all look at Vaughn.

 

“Uh,” He sputters, “Uh,” 

 

And then he stands up, brushing his vest off, “I’ve got to go now, uh, bandit life,” That last part is said in a high-pitched tone, like Vaughn’s about to pass out, which he doesn’t, gladly, and he quickly steps away, leaving the troops to their own devices.

 

He wants to hit himself for such an awkward exit, and now he’s back to slouching as he walks, rubbing the back of his neck. 

 

It’s weird, he thinks again, it’s too weird. He’s known Rhys for most of his life, and now suddenly he’s surrounded by people that talk about him like he’s this big deal. He should’ve been expecting it, but he wasn’t. 

 

So, he finds himself a perch to hide, comfortably outside the large mass of people in the Watershed Base, and he quietly snipes any and all threats that get a little bit too close, just to bring him back to a place similar to Ellie’s home, her as the brains, him as the brawns, the security guard, the protector. 

  
  


The Maliwan radio broadcasting center goes offline, and Rhys smiles to himself.

 

When Amara and Lorelei barge back into Rhys’s office, Amara has a pretty nasty looking Maliwan SMG in her hands, while Lorelei’s got her hands folded across her chest.

 

“The Orbital Drop Zone is clear,” Lorelei says, “I’ve got our troops moving in to replace Maliwan. They’re not gonna get any more supply drops in the near future,” 

 

Rhys closes the hologram projecting from his palm and gives the two a look. “Good job, you two. Maybe we’ll get more tourists, now that Maliwan’s not guarding that place,” 

 

“We did what you wanted, Atlas,” Amara says, “Got you the Gigamind, brought down Maliwan’s broadcast, and secured your drop zone, and now you help us,”

 

“Yeah, I know,” Rhys waves her off, “Timothy and your friend haven’t called me back yet about that whole vault key thing, so let’s hope they didn’t die,” When Rhys laughs, neither of them laugh with him, “Anyways,” He coughs awkwardly, “Yeah, I owe you, so, let me do you a favor. We’ve got COV recruitment centers all over the city,” 

 

“So we do more of your dirty work?” Amara says, “No thanks,”

 

Rhys raises a brow.

 

“I’m saying that destroying enough of those is bound to bring the Calypso Twins out of hiding. There’s not much you can do when you suddenly run out of an infinite supply of morons. We know they’re buddy-buddy with Maliwan, so it’s safe to say that Maliwan’s keeping them safe and hidden so they can carry on with their vault business. Cause enough damage to their bases, and you piss the twins off. Besides, there’s bound to be valuable junk in those places.” 

 

Amara’s about to turn around, but Rhys stops her. He stands up from his seat, and opens his palm back up.

 

“And,” He sings, “I’ve got direct access to Maliwan’s internal network, I’ve got eyes on everything going on, customer complaints, chatroom gossip, you name it,” 

 

Now Amara’s interested. She smiles, and tilts her head, “So, you’ve got eyes on the idiot working with the Calypso Twins,” 

 

The idiot’s name is Katagawa, Rhys thinks, and he nods, “Bingo,” 

 

“And where’d you get this?” 

 

Rhys snorts, “I’m a hacker, it’s kind of what I do, I hack things,”

 

“So, hand over the intel,” Amara says, “The Crimson Raiders will want their hands on something like that,”

 

Rhys smirks, “Sorry, this sort of thing is too valuable to let fall into the wrong hands, no offense,” 

 

“Excuse me?” 

 

“Rhys, they’re the ones that actually need it,” Lorelei finally speaks up, “We can handle ourselves without it,” 

 

Rhys walks to the front of his desk and takes a seat on the edge, “Besides, it’s only a matter of time before Maliwan figures out that their security was breached, and the only one that’s gonna be able to keep that breach open is me, take out those recruitment centers, and maybe we’ll talk more about this,” 

 

“No,” Amara nearly cuts him off, “Here’s what’s going to happen, Atlas,” She takes a step forward, and Rhys exchanges a look with Lorelei, and he finds that she’s wearing the same look Amara has, “You’re going to hand that intel over to me and my people, or I punch that stupid mustache off of your face,”

 

When she steps right into his personal bubble, they both stare daggers into each other, and he says, “Would you really kill the CEO of a multi-billion company?”

 

“Would you like to test me? Because I’d love nothing more than to kill another greedy, arrogant jackass,” She then smiles, copying that same smug look Rhys wore earlier, “So, are you gonna play nice, or are we going to have problems?”

 

So, Rhys caves.

 

“Fine,” He groans, “You got your intel, do you have anywhere I can send this?” 

 

She takes a few steps back, “Thank you, Atlas. Our people have been surveying the planet, they’re in a ship, the Sanctuary III, but since your commander and I cleared out that landing zone, they should be coming in shortly. Send the intel over to our commander, she’ll know what to do with it,” 

 

“Fine,” He repeats, “Perfect, great working with you, Vault Hunter, can you get out of my office?” 

 

So, Amara does, slamming the door on the way out. 

 

To anybody else, Amara’s in the right, but Rhys would never admit to that.

 

“Thanks for stepping in, Lorelei,” Rhys remarks, and she doesn’t react.

 

After a brief moment of silence, Lorelei finally steps up.

 

“What the hell was that?” She asks, bewildered.

 

Rhys gives her a questioning look, “What?” He replies.

 

“That,” She gestures towards the door, “You trying to bullshit the Crimson slagging Raiders, are you mad?” 

 

He glares.

 

“Listen, Lorelei, it’s way too easy to let other people take advantage of you and your assets, so, you keep a leg up over everybody, and nobody can screw you over, I thought you’d have my back,”

 

“I’ll have your back when Maliwan’s breaking through the door,” She says, “Not when you’re treating everybody like shit,” 

 

“I’m trying to keep our company afloat, thank you very much,”

 

“And you’re doing that by trying to act coy with the only people in the world that actually wants to help you?” 

 

“They’re only working with us for the vaults, Lorelei,” 

 

“So? They’ve done more in days than you’ve been able to do for bloody months, Rhys,”

 

“I’d really appreciate it,” Rhys snaps, “If my best commander didn’t always try to pick fights with me,” 

 

“Fights that are justified, actually,” She blurts back, “Because you’re too much of a self-absorbed prick to actually realize your fuck-ups,” 

 

“Then tell me my screw-ups, since you clearly know way more about myself than I do,” 

 

“You want me to repeat myself?” Lorelei asks, “I can say everything I said back at the war table, except louder, if that’s what you want,” 

 

Rhys doesn’t reply.

 

“You talk big shit,” She growls, “For somebody that caves at the mere thought of somebody actually liking you, and I don’t have the slightest clue as to why somebody could even stand to be near you for a prolonged amount of time, no offense, and let’s continue, I’ve spoken with Vaughn, the guy would walk through hell and back for your sorry arse, and all you do is whine, and moan, and take all your pent-up shit on everyone else, oh, Vaughn wants to be with you because he thinks you and him are friends? Well, fuck him, then, he clearly doesn’t understand that you’re too busy sucking Maliwan’s cock instead of actually making a fucking difference in this war, god, that sure sends mixed messages to our troops, oh, I’m Rhys, I care about all of you, but keep killing yourself out there so I can keep Katagawa as my drinking buddy, so, let’s answer that question, all your screw-ups, you are a miserable jackass that can’t handle other people caring about you, so you scream, and hate, and treat everyone like shit instead of seeking actual help for your problems,” 

 

Rhys doesn’t say anything, because he thinks he lost his voice.

 

“So, yeah, I’m not going to sit back while you prance around treating all the employees that’d give their life for this sorry excuse for a company like skag shit. You wanna know who else did shit like that?” 

 

Rhys’s eyes go wide, and his hands begin to shake. 

 

“That Hyperion guy, and you wanna know what happened to him? He died in a bloody volcano, and nobody cares about your shitty legacy when you’re dead,” 

 

“I,” Rhys tries to say, but all that comes out is a sorry whimper.

 

“Apologize, and start acting right,” She runs a hand through her hair and lets out a long breath, “Slag me, that felt good,” 

 

Not Jack, not Jack, not Jack, Rhys tells himself, he’s not Jack, he will never be Jack. He’s taken all the precautions, he’s done everything he can, he’s tried so hard, all so that he wouldn’t become Jack.

 

But, you can’t take the Hyperion out of the Hyperion stooge. 

 

For once in his career, Rhys can breathe freely, and he doesn’t know why. 

 

There is no world on his shoulders, and there never was. He isn’t Atlas, he isn’t Jack, and he isn’t Rhys.

 

Who is Rhys? 

 

At that moment, he hides his face in his hands, unable to respond.

 

Rhys, the boy that got pushed out of a tree, Rhys, the boy that decided he was going to be the baddest villain of them all, Rhys, the pitiful little code monkey that thought he could fill in the shoes of a dead man, Rhys, the useless motivational speaker that thought he could fill in the shoes of a dead company, Rhys, the man that would do anything to his legacy, because he thinks his legacy is all he’ll ever be. 

 

Rhys doesn’t know who he is, and he knows that the thing he keeps imprisoned on his trophy case is laughing. 

 

Vaughn always knew what to say to make the scary thoughts go away. 

 

‘It’s you and me, bro,’ Vaughn said, ‘Forever,’ and Rhys didn’t deny that for a second, and it was Rhys that turned that into a lie. 

 

He’s in over his head, he was never meant to do this.

 

He codes, he hacks, he can’t shoot, he can’t fight, he’s the tag-a-long in another person’s adventure, but he grew a siege mustache, which clearly means he knows what he’s doing, right? He’s the general, the CEO, the man that’s supposed to stop Maliwan, and smile afterwards. 

 

He’s not Atlas, he’s not Jack, he’s not himself, so what is he?

 

Well, he’s everything Lorelei said.

 

There’s a Handsome Jack in his head, and he knows that every night, he’ll go back to sleep, and he’ll be there telling him ‘Good job, kiddo,’ 

 

The Handsome Jack isn’t a leftover code, it isn’t a ghost, it isn’t anything.

 

It’s all Rhys, and that’s all it’ll ever be, because Rhys is sure that’s what he deserves. 

 

He remembers his father saying he’ll never be anything but a joke, and he remembers washing the blood off his fist after punching his father in the nose.

 

Maybe he was right, Rhys thinks, he was always right. 

 

He’s stuck with this, whether he likes it or not, this is the throne he’s built for himself, and now he’s got to sit in it. He’s got thousands of employees all looking to him for guidance, and now he’s got to do his goddamn job. 

 

It feels like hours, as Rhys hides his face, but really, it’s been a minute.

 

“I need a coffee,” Lorelei says, voice unusually quiet, “I’ll see you later, Rhys,”

 

When she turns around to start walking, he nearly falls over trying to stop her, “Wait,”

 

She turns around, and suddenly he’s choking on his words.

 

I’m sorry, you’re right, I can fix this, thank you, those are all things he should say, but instead, he shakes his head, and says, “Sorry, uh, it’s nothing,”

 

There’s so many things he should say to so many people, but just like this moment, he fakes a smile and says, ‘It’s nothing,’ 

 

‘You and Jack ruined our lives,’ Fiona once said, and suddenly the voice is digging itself back into his ears.

 

When she leaves, Rhys sees something blue in the corner of his eye, but again, he ignores it. 

 

There’s a piece of paper crumpled up in his vest, so as he sits back down, he takes it out, and tries his best to uncrumple it.

 

Doctor Clements’ guide to telling nightmares to go fuck themselves, it reads, One, rewrite the ending. 

 

Rewrite the ending to the dream, rewrite the ending to the story. 

 

Two, seek a professional, not like a doctor, that’d be stupid, they’d probably put a bandaid on your brain, or something, shit, a therapist, or something.

 

Rhys grimaces at the thought, laying on a couch and telling his life story, all the while the shrink on the chair writing everything down. 

 

Three, and this one’s real important, you’re not alone. It’s real easy to shut everyone out and live in your own head. Tell your dream to shut the fuck up, and tell the people that care about you that you won’t let yourself drown any fucking longer. You’re whining about getting out of here, now, so I’m just gonna give you this paper. Have fun, jackass, and remember to fucking eat something.

 

He’s not Jack, and he’ll never be Jack. 

 

Rhys is thankful for his echo eye, because if he didn’t have it, he would never be able to read the chicken scratch on the paper. 

 

He remembers the thing he’d always tell Vaughn when Vaughn would start going about meaningless things, like the potential of getting fired, or the fear that he’d never prove his worth, he’d always put a hand on Vaughn’s shoulder, and say, ‘Just slow down, and you’ll be okay,’

 

So, he takes his own advice.

 

He takes a deep breath in, and then a deep breath out, and he places the paper on his desk, propping it up just right so he can read it at any time. 

 

“Are you sure, sir?” Abigail asks, and Rhys nods.

 

“Take a vacation, and it’s paid time off,” 

 

That’s his apology for his behavior this morning, and she doesn’t take it, so they settle on shorter work hours. 

  
  


Vaughn keeps his eye on the scope as he gives one last lookover of the road.

 

Earlier, Skyman had come by with food, well, maybe it was food, it looked more like grey mush, however, Vaughn never turns down a meal. Vaughn made sure to ask if there was enough food for everyone, just in case he needed to give his food to somebody that probably needed it more, but Skyman laughed, shook his head, and said ‘This isn’t Pandora, of course there’s enough food,’ 

 

Now, Vaughn remains on his perch, which is actually a balcony without railing, and a place where no one in their right mind would try to reach, but, Vaughn’s there, feet dangling off the edge, looking through a scope. 

 

Maybe it was a crowd, Vaughn thinks, maybe that’s the reason he freaked out so hard earlier. Maybe it was the topic, he thinks next, having to listen to a bunch of people Vaughn would describe as jocks back in college talk about his friend’s sex life. Whether the reason, Vaughn still ran, and that’s a problem, he thinks. He’s tired of scurrying off at the slightest hint towards trouble, he’s tired of feeling uncomfortable in crowds, and he’s just tired in general. 

 

He remembers all the times Ellie would tell him to come down from his hiding place, and he’d always say no. It was worse a couple years earlier, Vaughn admits, Vaughn was still in the middle of a mental crisis, or something. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t like crowds, because there’s always an underlying feeling that everyone near him is going to end up dead. Dead, like the clan he failed to save, dead, like his brain when he’d look up at that statue with Rhys’s name on it, dead, like how he feels right now, conflicted over everything he’s ever thought, and all of it leads back to Rhys. 

 

But, he tells himself not to think of that, it’s all in the past, and he’ll deal with it later, in much more familiar surroundings. 

 

He feels like those seven years are catching up with him, all those years of repressing, hiding, pretending to be empty-minded, it’s all catching up, and he can’t stop it. 

 

But, that’s all muted as he looks up towards the skyscrapers, pretending to be stars in the black sky. 

 

There’s so many lasers, Vaughn thinks, so many explosions, so much smoke, yet the lights still gleam, red, blue, green. He wonders if it’s like this in all the other cities on Promethea. 

 

Red, and there’s the Atlas branding, on the jumbotrons, and on the buildings themselves. 

 

Atlas, Rhys’s legacy, the thing he’s worked so hard for. The sort of thing it took Vaughn so long to see, to these civilians, and to the soldiers roaming the streets, Rhys isn’t their friend, he isn’t a person, he’s just the big name sitting in a bigger chair, and that is the strangest thing he’s ever seen. He’s not too sure why, but when he thinks that, there's a flash of another person’s name, and that sends shivers down his spine. 

 

But, that’s the best comparison he has.

 

Handsome Jack, the ego, the hero, the villain, the guy Rhys obsessed over, because Rhys was always a fanboy, Handsome Jack, the guy that treated everything like it was expendable, Handsome Jack, the god figure at the head of Hyperion, with branding all over the place. He never did like Handsome Jack, but Vaughn shouldn’t be able to talk, he worked at that company for years, the villain, the bad guy, and he was just an accountant. Why does Vaughn think of Handsome Jack when he’s trying to think of Rhys? He knows Rhys would never end up like Handsome Jack, dead and dying with nothing left to lose. Hyperion stooges, they’re all cut from the same cloth, all itching for the perfect opportunity to put a knife in your back, but Vaughn doesn’t think like that, not anymore. Vaughn believes in second chances. There’s a reason why he didn’t run the second Helios crashed, and all those suit and ties crawled from the wreckage. 

 

He remembers when he didn’t, all the way back when they first landed on Pandora. 

 

He remembers thinking if Rhys had been the one to sell him out to Vasquez, he wouldn’t have forgiven Rhys. 

 

But, he isn’t a Hyperion stooge anymore, because he knows he can be better, and everybody deserves that chance. 

 

Vaughn is a bandit, whether that’s a bad thing or not is totally up to everybody else. 

 

But, according to the sniper rifle pointed at him in the distance, that’s a bad thing.

 

“Shit,” He yelps, nearly dropping his rifle in surprise. Vaughn tries his best to refocus, and he gets a chance to look at the figure completely.

 

Big, covered in a giant coat, hunched, accompanied by a skag.

 

Wait, a skag? And a spiderant, and something Vaughn has never seen before. It looks like a monkey with a gun. 

 

Well, that’s something you don’t see everyday, especially in a place like Promethea, so, Vaughn assumes that this person’s a vault hunter, because who else would be on Promethea? 

 

He slowly lowers his gun, and raises a hand, slowly giving the figure a wave. 

 

The figure lowers their gun, and they promptly wave back.  

 

The eye staring back at him reminds him of Loaderbot, he realizes. For a second, he thinks it is, but then he remembers that Loaderbot hates the wildlife. 

 

So, he climbs down from his perch, which includes jumping onto a well placed stack of boxes, and then promptly knocking all the boxes over, sending him tumbling. He’s fine, though. 

 

But, he’s confused for a second, and then in the next second, there’s a paw-claw on his chest, and a set of drooling teeth in his face.

 

He nearly reaches for his knife, but he hesitates, and he slowly, slowly gestures with his hands as he says, “Nice, uh, doggy?” 

 

The figure makes a clicking sound, like you would do with your tongue, but he’s pretty sure they don’t have that, and the skag quickly hops off of Vaughn, making a weird, almost happy growling sound. Vaughn watches the figure scratch the chin of the skag, and the skag looks absolutely content. Awh, it even has a little scarf, that is adorable.

 

Then, they hold a hand out to Vaughn.

 

“Sorry,” They say, and Vaughn takes their hand.

 

“Uh, no, it’s fine. Did you really domesticate a skag? And, a uh, thing? What is that?” He asks, gesturing to the monkey looking thing.

 

“Jabber,” They reply, running their four fingers through the large mane of the thing. It has little goggles. Vaughn’s going to have a cute overload. 

 

“Oh, uh, cool. Are, uh, are you a vault hunter?” 

 

“Yes,” They answer, crouching down to scratch their skag’s stomach, and Vaughn watches it kick it’s leg in joy. 

 

They’re not much of a talker, huh? 

 

“Okay, cool, uh, nice pets?” 

 

“They’re not pets,” The Vault Hunter says, “They’re companions,”

 

“Oh. Uh. What’s your name?” 

 

“Fl4k.” They answer.

 

“What, like the jacket?” 

 

Fl4k doesn’t laugh. 

 

So, Vaughn panics.

 

“Nice to meet you,” He says, nearly stuttering, “I’m Vaughn. Are you here for Atlas?”

 

“I was hoping to see Lorelei,” They answer, “Is she inside?” 

 

He shakes his head.

 

“No, sorry. I haven’t seen her in awhile.” 

 

“Sucks.” They mumble, “Are you Pandoran?”

 

“Yeah, I mean, no, yes?” He’s not sure how to reply, “It’s easier to say yes,” 

 

“You do look the part,” They remark, “I should go now,”

 

They tilt their head upwards, and Vaughn gets a good look at their face, or lack thereof, and instantly, he recognizes that shade of yellow.

 

“You’re Hyperion issued,” He blurts out, “Aren’t you?”

 

Fl4k takes a moment to stare off into nothing.

 

“Not anymore,” They finally answer, “That life has long since left me,” 

 

So, Vaughn and the Vault Hunter find common ground. 

 

He crouches down to their height, and after a moment of hesitation, he pets the skag, noting how it feels like if a rock was alive. 

 

“I mean, so was I,” He says, and Fl4k stares at him, “I was an accountant on Helios. I know a lot of people would jump at the opportunity to kill a former Hyperion goon, or robot, but I'm not one of those people.” 

 

“I figured the last of Hyperion died a long time ago,” They say, and Vaughn shrugs.

 

“I mean, all the bad ones died, but a lot of them changed their ways. I’ve got a friend who’s a Hyperion Loaderbot, and,” He looks up towards the skyscrapers, “Don’t tell him I told you, but Rhys, the Atlas CEO, he was a Hyperion data-miner. Uh, well, he did a lot of things. Data-mining, deal making, code scripting, whatever, that’s not the point,” He has to stop himself before he starts rambling, “My point is, uh, you’re not alone,” 

 

Vaughn and Fl4k spend a while staring at each other, and then Fl4k brings their hand up and plants it on Vaughn’s head, giving him a firm pat. 

 

“Uh, thanks,” He says, “If you don’t mind me asking, but, since you’re a Vault Hunter, are you with the Crimson Raiders?” 

 

“Yes,” They answer. 

 

“Hey, my friend’s a Crimson Raider,” He blurts out, “Her name’s Ellie,” 

 

“The ship mechanic?” 

 

“Ship?” He asks, “Wait, she’s a ship mechanic now?” 

 

“Where have you been?” They ask, “The Crimson Raiders have left Pandora,” 

 

“So,” He pauses, “Ellie’s not on Pandora, she’s on a ship, and I presume it’s the ship you came from,”

 

“Precisely,” 

 

And suddenly, Vaughn forgets all about Promethea, he forgets all about his anxiety, and he forgets all about his fear, and for a moment, Rhys’s name finally leaves his head. He starts to laugh. 

 

“That makes my life a whole lot easier,” He says, “Can you call her? I can only call people when I’m high up,” 

 

“Maybe your echo is outdated,” They say, “Or maybe Vault Hunters have a special edition. I can call her,” 

 

So, for a moment, they’re both silent as Fl4k brings up their device, and yes, that’s Ellie’s echo profile. 

 

For a moment, Vaughn’s closer to home, and he hasn’t even moved a muscle. 

 

“Hi, Ellie,” Fl4k greets, all the while petting their spiderant.

 

“Hey there, VH,” Ellie’s drawl is still just as loud, “Glad to see Promethea ain’t chewed you up. How are you?” 

 

“I’ve got somebody here with me, he says that you’re friends,” 

 

Vaughn doesn’t wait for her to respond.

 

“Hi, Ellie,” He shouts, maybe a bit too loud, and then he awkwardly laughs, “Good to, uh, see you,”

 

“Oh, my god,” Ellie gasps, “Vaughn, is that you? God, get your skinny little ass up here so I can hug the life outta you,” 

 

He rubs the back of his neck, “Yeah, uh, sorry, Ellie, sorry I haven’t called, or let you know if I died or not, uh, the Catch-a-Rides are back online,” 

 

“Who cares about the Catch-a-Rides,” She blurts out, “I’m just glad you’re doing alright,” 

 

Fl4k hands the echo device to Vaughn, and Vaughn gladly takes it, while Fl4k takes off one of the canisters off their bandolier, and unhooks the food bowl on their hip.

 

“Yeah, well, yeah. I think I’m doing alright. I’ve met good people. I saw Zer0, they’re working for,” He pauses, “They’re working for Rhys,” 

 

“Is that what that cutie’s up to? I might have to swing by to say hi,” She laughs, but once she recognizes Rhys’s name, she pauses, “Awh, hell, Rhys is your little friend, ain’t he?” 

 

“Yeah,” 

 

“Did you see him?” 

 

“Yeah, it, uh, didn’t end well,” 

 

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” 

 

“It’s fine, Ellie, don’t worry about it. Rhys has his company to look out for, I mean, it makes sense he wouldn’t want anybody in his way,” 

 

“I’ll smack him upside the head if that’ll make you feel better,”

 

“It definitely wouldn’t, please don’t do that,”

 

“Well, Vaughn, if you need a pickup, me and the Crimson Raiders will be down there shortly, now that the spaceport’s clear,” 

 

“That’d,” Be great, he should say, but the words die in his throat. 

 

‘It’s you and me, bro,’ He said, ‘Forever,’ And Vaughn always believed in that.

 

Yvette told him it’d be a good idea to stay.

 

Vaughn’s not too sure about that, but, hell, he’s never been one to make good decisions. 

 

If he leaves, he loses that chance to try one last time with Rhys. If he leaves, he loses the chance he probably won’t ever take, he’s torn up about this, all for a stupid little crush. 

 

Does Vaughn love Rhys? 

 

“I think I’ll stay a little bit longer,” He says. 

 

He does, he really, really, really does. 

 

He loved him in college, he loved him on Helios, he loved him on Pandora, he loved him even when he thought he was dead, he loved him when they destroyed the Traveler, he loved him when they gave one last parting hug, he loved him through all these years. He loves him.

 

Although, he’d never say that outloud.

 

“Well,” Ellie says, “Stay safe, honey. I’d hate if something ruined that perfect bod of yours,” 

 

“Uh,” Vaughn stutters, “Yours too, since that body is, rocking? Uh, girl. That was terrible, I’m sorry.” 

 

Her laugh is so incredibly loud, and Vaughn doesn’t notice the look Fl4k gives, not that they can really express anything with their face.

 

“That was a good first try,” She answers, “Maybe you’ll figure it out some other time,” 

 

“Yeah, thanks, Ellie,” Vaughn deadpans, “I’m going to give this thing back to Fl4k, and then I’m going to go question my life choices,” 

 

“You have fun with that,” She says, “Don’t get yourself killed,” 

 

“Oh, I definitely will,” Vaughn replies, laughing, “Okay, uh, bye,” 

 

So, the echo returns to its rightful owner, and that empty feeling in Vaughn’s chest is gone. 

 

Does Vaughn love Rhys? Yeah, he does, which is why he’s going to make sure Rhys doesn’t get himself killed, all from the distance through a sniper scope, because he thinks if he sees Rhys face to face, he’ll hug him and he won’t ever let go. He’s a bandit, and the bandit never wins, but god, does the bandit try.

 

Fl4k and Vaughn part ways with a fist bump, and surprisingly, Fl4k is the one that initiates it. 

  
  


Rhys can’t cook. 

 

He put way too many noodles into the pot, and now it’s boiling over, and he’s pretty sure something is burning. God help him. 

 

He whines as he pulls the pot off the burner, not having any idea on how to fix this mistake. 

 

He just wanted some fucking spaghetti. 

 

He feels like crying out of frustration. He can’t do anything right. 

 

What is he doing? Only a few hours ago he was preparing to better himself, not beat himself up over every little thing. 

 

‘Nice going, jagoff,’ He knows Jack would say if he was here. 

 

Well, now he can’t even boil noodles, and he feels like crying. 

 

Earlier, he burned himself on the pot, and it still stings. 

 

Vaughn always knew how to cook. So did Sasha. He misses them. 

 

Oh, god, now he’s going to cry for real. 

 

There’s a knock at the door. 

 

The first thing he thinks is it’s Zer0, and he needs to prepare an apology, but then he remembers Zer0 doesn’t use the front door. He then thinks that it’s Vaughn, but that would be stupid. He thinks it might be Lorelei, but he knows she has better things to do. 

 

There are five billion thoughts going through his head right now, why can’t he be a better person, why does he always sink back into self-loathing, how is he even still alive, he looks down at the burn on his human hand, and he nearly forgets there’s someone at the door. Maybe he should quit his job, maybe he should disappear without a trace, maybe everyone else will be better off that way.

 

All of that runs through his head just because he can’t cook spaghetti. 

 

Shut up, he tells himself, shut up, shut up, shut up. He’s not going to do this again, he’s not going to go to sleep and dream about that monster again, he’s not going to do that. He’s supposed to rewrite the ending, he’s supposed to open up to people, he’s supposed to be better. Why can’t he be better? It’s only been a few hours, Rhys should see that, but he doesn’t, and he beats himself over it, that he can’t suddenly be a better person. What the hell is he doing? 

 

When the knocking continues, he wants to scream, go away, leave me alone, I want to be alone. 

 

But, he doesn’t, and he quietly makes his way to the door, knocking, knocking, knocking.

 

The knocking is just knocking, but in Rhys’s ears, it sounds like pounding, pounding, pounding. His head hurts, and the horrible taste in his mouth is back. 

 

Maybe the person at the door is a hired assassin finally here to finish the job. 

 

Well, only one way to find out. 

 

When he opens the door, he nearly screams.

 

Not Jack, not Jack, not Jack, leave him alone, go away, go away, go away, he won’t become Jack, he’ll never be Jack, Jack can’t hurt him anymore, Jack can’t hurt him, stop, stop, stop. 

 

His body acts, and now he’s sending a metallic fist into his nose. 

 

“Ow,” Timothy yells, falling back as he holds his face, “What the heck, ow, ow,” 

 

Rhys stands wide-eyed over Timothy, unable to process what just happened. 

 

“Why did you,” Timothy whines, “Do that, I just came here to, ow, jeez,” 

 

When Timothy moves his hand, there’s a lot of blood running down his nose. That’s when Rhys snaps out of it.

 

“Oh, shit,” He blurts out, holding a hand to Timothy, “I am so sorry,” 

 

Timothy continues whining as he takes Rhys’s hand, and Rhys promptly pulls him onto his feet.

 

“I thought,” Rhys stutters, “I thought,”

 

Timothy stops him.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” He says, voice even more nasally, “You thought I was Jack, yeah, happens all the time,” 

 

“God, I am so sorry,” Rhys repeats, “Can I get you something? An ice pack, or,” His voice dies off.

 

Timothy wipes his nose across his sleeve.

 

“Can you get me some tissues?” 

 

“Uh, yeah, of course, again, really sorry, uh, come in,” 

 

So, Rhys stumbles backwards into his apartment, and Timothy follows suit. 

 

“Did you burn something?” Timothy asks, making a gross sniffling sound, “It smells like garbage. Blood, mostly, but garbage,” 

 

As Rhys hands him a box of tissues, thank god he had it, he replies, “Don’t ask,” 

 

And then Timothy takes a look at the counter. “That’s a lot of candles.”

 

“I said don’t ask,” 

 

“Right, sorry,” Timothy says, and he takes one of the tissues, rips it in two, and shoves the pieces up his nostrils. 

 

“Why did you come here?” Rhys asks.

 

“Uh, because you weren’t answering your calls? That pretty lady said where I could find you, uh, Abbie, or something?” 

 

Rhys nearly laughs, because nobody calls her that.

 

“Oh,” He replies, “Uh, sorry. I’ve been busy,” 

 

“Yeah, sure looks like it,” Timothy remarks, “Are you making spaghetti? Awh, man, my mom made the best spaghetti,” 

 

Rhys’s face lights up in embarrassment, “Uh, yeah? It didn’t go well,” 

 

As Timothy approaches the stove, he sniffles again, “Well, duh, you put way too many noodles in there,” 

 

Rhys pouts. 

 

“Maybe I like adding a lot of noodles,” He says.

 

“Do you like ruining food? Because that’s how you ruin food.” 

 

It feels too weird to look at Timothy any longer, so Rhys averts his gaze and crosses his arms. He’s glad for Timothy’s voice being distorted by the tissues in his nose, but he still feels bad about being the cause for that. 

 

Regardless, Timothy completely abandons the disaster in a pot, and thanks to Rhys’s inability to ever put things away, or close cabinets, he’s easily able to find the necessary things to start over. 

 

“Are you seriously using my kitchen just to prove how superior you are to me in cooking, or whatever?” Rhys snaps, and Timothy looks at him.

 

“What are you even talking about? I’m showing you how to not mess up at basic human skills, which, jeez, thought I’d never say that. Usually, I’m the idiot,” 

 

Rhys glares at him.

 

“Right, uh, sorry, anything, uh, come here, I’ll show you how to cook spaghetti.” 

 

“Weren’t you supposed to be finding a vault key, or something?” Rhys says, still glaring.

 

“Oh, yeah, about that, uh, we don’t have it,” 

 

“What?” Rhys blurts out, immediately approaching Timothy, “What do you mean you don’t have it?” 

 

“They didn’t have it! Me and Zane questioned a few of those Maliwan guys, they said it was repositioned somewhere, but they don’t know where, sorry,” 

 

“Oh, my god,” Rhys whines, hiding his face, “I hate Maliwan so much,” 

 

In the entirety of the network that Rhys hacked into, not once was there a mention of a vault key being moved. Kill him, please.

 

“They make pretty nice guns, though,”

 

“Don’t push me, Timothy,” 

 

“Okay, jeez, fine. Just, watch me make this, or something.” 

 

So, Rhys does that. 

 

Timothy’s able to cook with ease, and not once does he burn himself. What an asshole. 

 

Why is Rhys so angry? 

 

He shouldn’t be angry. 

 

‘Just slow down, and you’ll be okay,’ Is what he’d say to Vaughn. He tries to take his own advice for a second time.

 

He breathes in, and then breathes out, and continues watching. 

 

He makes a weird sound when he watches Timothy take one of the noodles and throw it at his wall.

 

“Whuh?” He sputters, “Why did you do that?” 

 

Timothy looks at Rhys like he’s an idiot, “To see if it’s done, duh,” 

 

The noodle flops to the floor.

 

“Yeah, not done, yet,” 

 

“Can you maybe pick that up?”

 

“Yeah, uh, about that, I’m cooking right now, so,” 

 

Rhys wants to kill him. 

 

So, when the spaghetti is done, and the two fumble around for awhile looking for a strainer, Timothy stays quiet, and Rhys is thankful for that.

 

“I haven’t eaten in days,” Rhys says.

 

“That’s really weird, don’t do that,” 

 

When they eat, Rhys wolfs it down in an instant, as he realizes just how hungry he really is, and he gets seconds. It tastes really good, and that makes Rhys angrier.

 

Why is he so angry? 

 

So, while Rhys cleans the dishes, Timothy wanders around his apartment. He wants to tell him to stop, but he just keeps quiet and continues cleaning.

 

And then, Timothy speaks while he stares out the window. 

 

“Did you know this is a sliding door?” He asks, and Rhys whips around. 

 

“Whuh?” He asks, “That’s a window,” 

 

“No, hold on,” Timothy says pushing the curtain aside to reveal a latch. 

 

Rhys has lived here for years, and he never noticed that. 

 

Who the hell would build a sliding door to nothing? 

 

Timothy pulls it open, and just as he opens it completely, the two watch a patio come into existence, digistructed and hex-patterned. 

 

Alright, that makes sense. 

 

“Woah,” Rhys says, realizing why this apartment cost so much, “Nice,” 

 

“You’re the one that has to try it out,” Timothy says, “I am not standing on that,” 

 

“Shut up,” Rhys says, no hostility in his voice, and he obliges.

 

He gently, carefully, and slowly taps the patio with the tips of his toes. 

 

Yeah, it’s solid. 

 

There’s the gentlest breeze, and the lights of the city are beautiful. 

 

Timothy reluctantly joins him, arms resting along the guardrail. 

 

And for a moment, Rhys is reminded of something.

 

‘Having fun playing monster?’ Jack told him in his dreams, the side of his face drowning in the shifting neon lights.

 

Everything is silent until it isn’t.

 

“Timothy,” Rhys says, “Do you think I’m like Jack?” 

 

Timothy looks at him, and then laughs, “What? I mean, you aren’t constantly talking about how handsome you are, so there's that,” 

 

“I’m serious,” Rhys continues, “I constantly feel like I’m gonna turn into him, or something,”

 

“Have you strangled anybody?” Timothy asks.

 

“No,” 

 

“Did you vent people into space for fun?”

 

“No,” 

 

“You’ve got your answer. Believe me, you’re leagues above that guy. That guy was a douche,” 

 

Rhys hesitates, and then he chuckles. “Yeah, that guy was a douche,” 

 

“I never did ask,” Timothy says, “How’d you know him?” 

 

“He had a crazy AI created, and I accidentally downloaded it into my head,” 

 

“I feel like I’ve heard that before,” Timothy says, “Sounds rough,” 

 

“Yeah,” Rhys sighs, “It sucked. He could take over my cybernetics at any moment, and I, uh, I trusted him, for a bit,”

 

“Hey, I did, too. Before he vented a bunch of scientists into space. We all screw up sometimes,” 

 

“Yeah, but you knew him before he was in charge of Hyperion, right?” Rhys says, “I trusted him, even after all the shit he pulled on Pandora,” He laughs, but it’s not out of joy, “I used to think that he was the good guy, that he was fixing Pandora,” 

 

“Wasn’t Hyperion, like, super brainwash-y?” 

 

“I guess?” 

 

“Well, just be glad you’re not like that, now, you’d get killed without hesitation,” 

 

Rhys rolls his eyes.

 

“Yeah, thanks,” 

 

When Timothy looks down, he chokes on his breath, and Rhys watches him back away.

 

“Okay, yeah, I’m scared of heights, why did I look down, oh, god,” 

 

Rhys laughs.

 

“Screw you,” Timothy whines, “You punched me in the nose, you don’t get to laugh at me,” 

 

Rhys continues laughing, but he wheezes out a, “Sorry,” 

 

“Asshole,” Timothy hisses, backing away from the door even more, “I’m gonna go find people that actually like me, like that Zane guy, he seemed nice,” 

 

“Okay, okay,” Rhys wheezes, “Thank you, Timothy, I mean it,” 

 

Timothy rolls his eyes, but Rhys sees a faint smile.

 

“Yeah, no problem, boss. I’ll, uh, keep doing my job. Can I get a raise?” 

 

“I paid you for that vault key job, what more do you want?” 

 

“I don’t know, a raise?” 

 

“Okay, get out of my apartment, Timothy,” 

 

“Yeah, that’s fair, uh, bye,” 

 

For some reason, Rhys doesn’t see any amount of Jack in Timothy’s face anymore. 

 

So, Timothy leaves. 

 

While Rhys returns to washing dishes, he thinks, rewrite the ending, rewrite the ending.

 

The last dream left off with him able to move. 

 

He rewrites the ending, just like he was telling the story to a masked stranger, hiding the details and adding a little more pizzazz. 

 

He’d suddenly gain the ability to move again, and he’d punch Handsome Jack so hard in his stupid face, that his head would come off, and he’d say something super cool, ‘Looks like we just had a face-off,’ and then all of his friends would come into the room clapping, ‘Good job, Rhys,’ ‘You’re my hero,’ and Vaughn would be there, and everything would be okay.

 

That’s stupid, but it’s a better ending, Rhys thinks, and that’s what counts. 

 

So, when he sleeps, there’s one last question left unanswered, so he asks himself again.

 

Who is Rhys? 

 

He’s the guy that killed a Vault Monster with a cheesy one-liner and finger guns, he’s the guy that stole ten million dollars out of spite, he’s the guy that cried on his friend thinking he’d have healing tears.

 

That’s who he is, and there’s no changing that. He’s not Jack, and he’s not Atlas. He’s Rhys, and that’s all he’ll ever be. 

 

So, when he’s back in Jack’s office, he’s not scared. 

 

‘You little shit,’ Jack growls, and Rhys doesn’t move, ‘I should’ve killed you when I had the chance,’ 

 

Maybe that’s true, but Rhys doesn’t care.

 

Jack grabs for his lapels, ‘You can’t just throw me away, you need me, you need me,’

 

He never needed Jack. 

 

“It’s okay,” Rhys says, “You’re not the bad guy,” 

 

Jack stares at him with wide eyes. 

 

‘Why did you forgive them,’ Jack says, ‘All they care about is getting on top, they don’t care about you,’ 

 

“Because I’m a good person,” Rhys answers, “And I forgive you, so take the mask off,” 

 

It was never really Jack. 

 

It was just a Halloween costume. 

 

He looks down, defeated and lost, and suddenly, he appears so much smaller than Rhys. 

 

Rhys is the one that takes the mask off, slowly, because he knows who’s under it.

 

It never really was Jack, just the boy that thought he had to play the villain to survive, the boy that got pushed out of a tree because kids can be cruel, the kid with an arm that never properly healed, the kid that made business cards for his own club so he’d feel special, the kid that didn’t have any friends, or a good relationship with his parents, or anything. The kid looks up at Rhys with big brown eyes, and a mess of curls that nearly hide them, and Rhys hugs him, because it never was really Jack. It wasn’t leftover code, it wasn’t a ghost, it was just Rhys. 

 

“You’re not the bad guy,” He says, “You’re not,”


	11. Vaughn’s Resurgence As a Respected Leader,

“Man, you really suck at this,” Vaughn gloats one last time, giving Rhys a smug smirk as he lowers the controller. 

 

“Oh, no, you’re not quitting now,” Rhys hisses, “Rematch, or you’re chicken,” 

 

Rhys has always been the worst at fighting games. Vaughn thinks about educating him about how to actually block, but that might give him a fighting chance, and Vaughn won’t let that happen. 

 

“Nope,” Vaughn says, standing up and stretching, “Sorry, bro, I’ve got things to do,” 

 

Vaughn can see the cogs turn in Rhys’s head, guessing he’s contemplating throwing the controller at him.

 

“Whatever,” Rhys grumbles, “Chicken,” 

 

Vaughn laughs, and Rhys’s glare grows sharper, but that only makes him laugh harder. 

 

“Alright,” Vaughn wheezes, “I’ll make it up to you, bro. I’ll order you a pizza,” 

 

Rhys’s glare fades, and he turns to lay his back against the couch, dropping his controller to the ground, and Vaughn notices the small thump against the carpet.

 

“Yeah, that sounds good,” He says, “Make half pineapple, and I’ll never get mad at you again,” 

 

Vaughn snorts, “Yeah, sure,” 

 

Vaughn’s one of the few people that accepts Rhys’s weird choice in toppings. 

 

So, Vaughn orders a pizza, half pineapple, half pepperoni, and Rhys shuts off the game console, vowing revenge against Vaughn, but he does it smiling, so Vaughn doesn’t take it personally. Vaughn thinks Rhys has a nice smile. 

 

They’ve lived together for years, and the apartment certainly looks that way, with posters pinned to the walls, accidentally torn and wrinkled, there’s a hole in the wall after Rhys accidentally punched right after getting his prosthetic, and there’s a mysterious stain on the ceiling that has always been there, and they never questioned it. Yvette comes by every so often, usually to comment on the amount of dirty clothes thrown around the apartment, and Vaughn always likes it when she visits. 

 

So, when the pizza arrives, Vaughn grabs a beer for him and Rhys, and he settles back on the couch. 

 

“Thanks for paying,” Rhys says, mouth full of abomination pizza. 

 

“Yeah, no problem,” Vaughn replies, smiling, “You got crumbs all over your face, y’know,” 

 

Rhys drops his pizza back onto its paper plate, and he quickly wipes at his face.

 

“You suck,” Rhys says, “I don’t comment on food on your face,” 

 

“Because,” Vaughn retorts, “I don’t ever have food on my face, because I have manners, dork,” 

 

Rhys puts on a face of mock shock, “Dork? Are you seriously calling me a dork, Mr. Math Equation, you’re the biggest dork that ever dorked,” 

 

“I’m not a dork,” Vaughn laughs, “I’m a nerd, big difference,” 

 

“I’m going to hire somebody to beat you up,” Rhys says, “And then I’m going to laugh,” 

 

“Oh no, I’m so scared,” Vaughn deadpans, and then he smirks, “I would pay off the guy you hired to beat me up, because I have, like, way more money than you,” 

 

“Yeah, alright, fair, but,” Rhys pauses, and Vaughn sees the cogs turning again, and then he says, “Shut up,” 

 

So, Vaughn laughs again, and soon, Rhys is joining him. 

 

Vaughn finishes his half of the pizza in record time, while Rhys hasn’t even finished his second slice before he concludes he’s full. 

 

“Weak,” Vaughn says, snickering. 

 

Rhys places his plate on the floor to deal with later, and he gently kicks Vaughn’s leg.

 

“Shut up, bro,” 

 

“You shut up, bro,” 

 

Rhys’s hair isn’t gelled enough, or maybe he messed it up earlier, because Vaughn can see those curls standing up. He thinks it looks nice. 

 

They’re sitting a little bit closer, and Vaughn’s not sure when either of them moved, but here they are, legs just barely touching. 

 

“You shut up,” Rhys says, voice quieter, and he’s smiling that nice smile.

 

“You shut up,” Vaughn replies, leaning a bit closer to Rhys.

 

They’re close, too close, but Rhys doesn’t seem too bothered about it, so Vaughn isn’t either. 

 

Vaughn watches Rhys’s eyes flicker down, then back to looking into Vaughn’s eyes. 

 

“Do you want to kiss?” Rhys asks, and all the wind is knocked out of Vaughn, leaving him completely breathless.

 

Despite wearing that t-shirt for a show Rhys doesn’t even like anymore, and wearing sweatpants with colorful blue stripes that look kind of ridiculous, right now, in this moment, Vaughn thinks Rhys is the most attractive thing he’s ever seen.

 

Vaughn’s eyes go wide, and he stutters, trying to find the right words. Licking his lips, he finally chokes out a response, “Yeah,” He sighs, “Yeah, I’d like that,” 

 

Rhys leans in, and Vaughn does to, his heart pounding in his chest, and then their lips are meeting, and it’s everything Vaughn ever hoped for, and more, so gentle and loving, Vaughn has to remind himself to tilt his head so their noses don’t bump together. Vaughn closes his eyes, so he doesn’t notice anything until there’s a hand on his cheek, warm and careful, cupping his face so kindly. Vaughn’s glasses are a problem, so when they part for a quick breath, Rhys takes them off for him, and Vaughn doesn’t care enough to know where Rhys puts them.

 

For a moment, they open their eyes, and press their foreheads against each other.

 

“Woah,” Vaughn says, laughing lightly, and he stutters on his words, “Is, is this happening?” 

 

Rhys has that lopsided goofy grin on his face, and Vaughn’s heart stops. “Yeah,” He says, “I think it is,” 

 

“Is this going to change anything between us?” Vaughn asks, “Is this going to ruin our friendship, or something?”

 

Their voices are so quiet. 

 

Rhys cups Vaughn’s face again, and he says, “We’ll think about that later,”

 

Then, they’re back to kissing, and Vaughn’s hands go to tangle in the hem of Rhys’s shirt, and Rhys pulls him deeper, hands slipping from Vaughn’s face to the back of his neck, fingers linking together. 

 

Vaughn’s wanted this for so long. He doesn’t know what spurred this on, but, god, does he appreciate it. 

 

Vaughn forgets to hold himself up, and then they’re both falling back, and now Rhys is on top of Vaughn, but they’re still kissing. 

 

When they part, Rhys’s lips are trailing down his jaw, and Vaughn makes a sound, a moan mixed with a laugh as his lips press against his neck. 

 

“Rhys,” He says, no reason at all.

 

Rhys’s hands trail down, slipping underneath Vaughn’s shirt, and then they’re trailing back up, fingers dragging against his skin, and Vaughn sucks in a breath, while Rhys continues kissing his neck.

 

“I love you,” Vaughn says, voice coming out fast and breathless, “I think I’ve always loved you,” 

 

“Me too,” Rhys answers, and then everything in Vaughn’s life is okay.

 

And then he wakes up.

 

He rubs at his eyes, and they flutter open to meet the pitch black sky, the distant sound of crashing cars and gunfire filling his ears. Red light, green light, blue light, yellow light, a man made aurora of destruction high in the sky. 

 

That feeling in his chest is back, hollow and cold. His face is the opposite, though, hot and red. It’s been a long time since he’s dreamt that fantasy. 

 

Rhys didn’t say ‘I love you,’ in the dream. Why is Vaughn so focused on that? He said, ‘Me too,’ and that’s a terrible confession. Why didn’t he say ‘I love you’? 

 

Vaughn clutches at his chest, fingers tangling in the dirtied fabric of his vest, and he lets out a long defeated sigh. He’s not going to win at anything, he guesses. 

 

When he looks towards the city, all he can see is the Atlas headquarters, standing high and mighty like a king’s castle, and it only makes him feel worse. 

 

But, pouting isn’t going to help him get anywhere in life, so he grabs his sniper rifle and sits up, still on the balcony that should be inaccessible to any normal human being. There’s a billion Maliwan troops that need killing, and Vaughn isn’t the person to go looking for them, so he’ll stay put, like a gargoyle on a tower. 

 

He waves to Lorelei when she finally appears, and all she does is give him a weird look.

 

“How’d you get up there?” She asks, arms crossed. They both have to yell at each other to actually hear.

 

Vaughn shrugs, and gestures to a pile of boxes he arranged to act as stairs. “I like being alone sometimes,” 

 

“Well, don’t break a leg trying to get down,” She says, “Gravity isn’t as nice to you as it is on Pandora,” 

 

“Yeah,” Vaughn replies, but then he stops, and scoots a bit closer to the edge, and he says, “Uh, how’s Rhys? Is he, uh, doing alright?” 

 

Her expression instantly drops, and she sneers, “Don’t ask,” She replies, “I’m still slagging pissed at him, and that isn’t changing anytime soon,” 

 

He frowns, and although he probably shouldn’t ask, he does, “What happened?” 

 

After a moment of tapping her foot against the ground, she takes a look at the boxes, and quickly climbs onto them to join Vaughn on his perch, all the while ranting.

 

“Well,” She grunts, “He thought it’d be a great slagging idea to try to bullshit a Vault Hunter, a Vault Hunter! That’s like wishing for death,” Vaughn holds a hand out for her, offering to help her cross the gap from the boxes to the perch, and she gladly takes it, “Next, he’s so melodramatic all the time, can you believe that? The bastard complains all the time about how badly Maliwan screws us over, but he’s got Katagawa on speed-dial,” She sits next to him, legs folded, and she huffs again, “God, he’s irritating,” 

 

Vaughn’s silent for a moment, because all he can think about is that dream, and the Rhys that lives in there. It takes a second to remind him of the real Rhys, who he is, and what he does.

 

“Yeah,” Vaughn finally says, and judging by Lorelei’s expression, he thinks she was expecting him to defend Rhys full heartedly, but he doesn’t. Instead, he says, “He does that sometimes. Usually, there’s someone to smack some sense into him,” Fiona, Sasha, Loaderbot, “But, I guess he doesn’t have that. It’s just him.” 

 

“I finally had enough, though. You should’ve seen him, bug-eyed, while I told him off.” 

 

Vaughn winces. He knows the look. 

 

“I still miss him,” Vaughn says. 

 

“I don’t hate the guy,” Lorelei replies, “I’d do anything for this company, but,” 

 

“You don’t want him to turn into every other CEO,” Vaughn answers for her, and she nods. “I still don’t know why he decided to revive a dead company,” 

 

“It’s a hell of a job,” Lorelei says, “Good pay, too. It makes sense,” 

 

“Yeah, but he's,” He doesn’t want to say it, he doesn’t want to admit it, he doesn’t want to be mean, but he continues, “He should’ve never taken the job, I think. I mean, it’s always been his dream, I know that, but,” 

 

“But?” 

 

“He came from Hyperion, both of us did,” He gestures to the sky, expecting there to be a space station in the sky, he’s not sure what he’s trying to say with that, “God, I sound like a jerk, but I’m worried about him.” 

 

“He’s got the condescending douchebag smirk just right, though,” Lorelei says, lightening the mood, and the both of them share a laugh. “If you don’t mind me asking, though, what’re you still doing here? Thought you had Pandoran business,”

 

“Yeah,” Vaughn turns his head, and rubs his neck, “About that. My friend, Ellie, she’s with the Crimson Raiders, which is super cool, and now she’s a spaceship engineer? She’s not on Pandora anymore, so I guess I don’t have a home there either, so,” He opens his arms, gesturing to nothing, “I’m still here,” 

 

“Isn’t that something?” Lorelei says, “Seems everyone I meet is affiliated with them in some way,” 

 

Vaughn laughs. “I know, right?” 

 

“The Vault Hunter, uh, one of them, Amara and I’ve become proper friends. Cleared out the Orbital Drop Zone with her. We might just get your Raider friends landing in soon, if this war cools down anytime soon,” 

 

“Yeah,” He says, “Let’s hope so,” 

 

“Lorelei,” Skyman surprises the both of them, and when they look over the edge, there he is at ground level, waving for her, “We’ve got stuff to do, Commander,” 

 

She rolls her eyes, “Right, sorry, Skyman. I’ll be down in a sec,” 

 

Vaughn leans back, and watches her get up onto her feet.

 

“See you later, Vaughn,” She says, “Another thing, before I go, I heard about you helping out in the Meridian outskirts, so thanks for doing my job for me,” 

 

He gives her a smile, and a thumbs up.

 

“No problem, commander,” He replies, and his smile falters just a bit. He feels like he’s about to regret what he’s about to say next, “When you see Rhys, uh, say hi to him for me,” 

 

“Yeah, I’ll be sure to do that, Loverboy,” She teases, and his face goes red, “Watch out for the creepy cultists, and maybe we’ll kill some Maliwan goons next time I’m free,”

 

“Sounds like a plan, Lorelei,” Vaughn says, pulling his rifle into his lap, “I’ll just be here, then, uh, killing anything that comes near here, since I don’t have anything better to do,” 

 

So, Lorelei leaves, because she has a life, and Vaughn remains, because he doesn’t. 

 

Time passes, but judging by the sky, Vaughn’s not sure how much time has actually passed. Could’ve been hours, could’ve been minutes, Vaughn doesn’t know. 

 

He’s shot a few of the wandering wildlife, he’s scared off the craziest of cultists, and he’s headshot anything wearing green. 

 

God, is this all his life is going to be? 

 

For a second, he misses crunching those beautiful, beautiful numbers. He had a life, once, it was a boring, sad, slouching, back-pained filled life, but it was a life.

 

Is he actually missing Hyperion? 

 

Maybe he’s just missing Rhys.

 

Shut up.

 

He’s the one that decided to become a bandit king, and he’s the one that decided to stay on Pandora. He can’t regret that now. He’s free, free from Hyperion’s chains, free from shirts that are way too tight, free from the mocking stares from his fellow coworkers. He’s not the nerd, he’s not the sidekick, he’s not the little weirdo glued to Rhys’s side. 

 

So, who is he?

 

Simple, he’s a leader, whether he likes it or not. He has to remind himself of that anytime he starts regretting his life choices. 

 

He could repair Helios, actually, return it to its former glory.

 

He could start a new gang, one where he actually knows what he’s doing. That’s what he wants to do, but he’s not sure if he’ll actually do it.

 

He wouldn’t be able to handle another New Pandora invasion. 

 

God, stop thinking about that.

 

It’s been years since the invasion, it’s been years since the death of the Children of Helios, Vaughn needs to let go of it. 

 

“Ugh, more creepy weirdos,” A voice rings out below Vaughn.

 

When he finally shakes those thoughts off, and he refocuses back on his objective, he finds an interesting sight.

 

They’re COV, clearly, with their ragged clothes and wildly colored hair, four of them.

 

One has unruly purple hair, and a vault marked mask covering her face, with a ripped vest and bandages around her arms and chest. One has spiky green hair with the sides shaved, a pair of big goggles covering his eyes, and a bandana covering his mouth and nose, and he’s completely shirtless. One has a completely shaved head and big shoulder pads with spikes all over, and he has a nasty burn scar on the right side of his face which trails down his body, while also being the lankiest of the team. The last one is the smallest of them all, hiding within a large hood and big mask, and Vaughn’s sure the kid is really just a kid. 

 

And all of them are definitely about to be killed by the Atlas guards that patrol the facility. 

 

For some reason, Vaughn remembers something.

 

It was the first time Vaughn joined Rhys on his walk to HQ, when Vaughn was all too happy to kill a Maliwan scout, whereas Rhys simply paid the man off, saying, ‘No violence required,’

 

Vaughn shouts, grabbing each of the guard’s attention, and he says, “Hey, they’re unarmed, you jerks. Just leave them alone,” 

 

The guards seem to have no idea where Vaughn is, turning and spinning around to find the source of the voice, and then they do find him.

 

“You do realize these are COV, right? They’re working for Maliwan?” 

 

The group of bandits stay silent, and all they do is stare at Vaughn.

 

“Yeah, but they don’t seem that bad. They could be screaming about eating your eyeballs, or something, maybe these are cool bandits, that are leaving the COV, ever think of that?”

 

One of the guards groans, and shrugs, “Whatever, just, scram,” He gestures to the bandits, making a shoving gesture with his arms, “Go be weird somewhere else,” 

 

So, the guards leave, and the bandits remain staring at him, so he awkwardly laughs and waves.

 

“Uh, hi?” He greets.

 

“Our new savior,” The purple-haired girl says, “Saved us from the heretics,” 

 

“Worship him,” The lanky one says, “Let him know we are eternally grateful,” 

 

Vaughn goes wide-eyed, and he shaves his hands in protest, “Wait, wait, don’t do that,” He yelps, “Definitely don’t do that, bad idea,”

 

Where did these idiots even come from?

 

Why did Vaughn save them?

 

He’s not too sure why he did that, but for some reason, he thought back to him and Rhys walking down the street, and Rhys had that smirk on his face after just paying off a Maliwan soldier, ‘No violence required,’ he said. The bandits weren’t armed, sure, they were annoying, but they weren’t really hurting anyone, so Vaughn stopped those Atlas scouts, and now he’s got an entourage. 

 

They just won't leave. They sit around the base, but never inside, and Vaughn tells Skyman to tell the rest of the troops to don’t kill them. They’re harmless, except for the occasional screaming fit, but Vaughn has seen a lot weirder in his life. He definitely doesn’t want to do this again.

 

So, Vaughn does what he always does, and makes use of his newfound leadership. Vaughn could easily kill them, scare them off, do whatever to get them away from him, but he doesn’t, because he knows how cults work. The party of four look as scrappy as the rest of the children, so Vaughn assumes they’ve gone through the same things as everybody else. They’re annoying, sure, but they’re the same as just another Helios refugee, bad ideas in their heads, and nowhere to go. Vaughn thinks that he’ll never shrug off that urge to help everyone in a bad spot. Everyone deserves a second chance, he thinks, everyone. 

 

So, after a couple hours of awkward staring and silence, Vaughn climbs down from his perch, and the party of four quickly surround him, and all of them, except the kid, are much taller than him.

 

“Uh,” He stammers, “Hi?” 

 

The purple-haired girl gasps, and while Vaughn can’t read any expression on her face, he’s sure she’s grinning by the tone of her voice, “The Savior has spoken,” 

 

Oh, he’s not doing this again. 

 

“No, it’s Vaughn,” He says, “Vaughn,” 

 

“The Vaughn-god saved us from the scary guns, he must be worshiped,” Says the lanky one.

 

“No,” He yells, “No, no. No worshiping, no cults, no calling me your god. I’m just a person,” 

 

“We will do anything for you,” Green hair says.

 

“Uh,” Vaughn doesn’t know how to reply to that. 

 

“Don’t upset him,” The kid says says, “We will all end up like the rest of the disowned family,” 

 

“Woah,” Vaughn raises his hands in a placating manner, “That won’t happen, I promise you guys.” 

 

So, the party of four remain, and Vaughn still has no idea what their names are. When he asks, he gets cold stares and absolute silence, so he tasks himself with naming the bandits, but he then immediately remembers that he can’t name things.

 

“Alright, uh, I guess I’ll give you all nicknames,” He says, and chooses his first victim.

 

“You’re Purple,” He says to the girl with purple hair, congratulating himself on his originality.

 

“You’re, uh,” He taps his chin, and then points towards the lanky guy with the big scar, and then says the first word that comes to mind, “Stringbean,”

 

Staring at the green-haired guy, Vaughn takes a look at the bandana covering his mouth, a pair of sharp teeth patterned on the front. “You’re Sharkteeth,” 

 

“And you’re Pip,” He finishes, pointing at the tiniest of the group.

 

They’re all terrible names, Vaughn admits, but they’re names. He remembers the names the Children of Helios picked out for themselves, despite the weird looks Vaughn would give them, Murderbear Doug, Scratchy Scratch, Flower Princess, they were all weird, but Vaughn would never say anything, because Vaughn wasn’t a dick. Vaughn’s keeping with the tradition. So, Purple, Stringbean, Sharkteeth and Pip all look at each other, content with their new names, and that’s how Vaughn accidentally got a new cult. 

 

He gets them to start using his actual name, no god title attached, eventually.

 

When Skyman notices a couple of tents missing from the supply, he doesn’t ask, and soon, outside the Watershed Base, there’s a full blown camp.

 

When it’s a bit too dark, Vaughn starts a fire in the center of the camp, and after dragging several pieces of debris to act as seats, he strikes up a conversation with his new following. 

 

“So, uh, why don’t you guys have weapons? I thought you COV had all kinds of weird guns,” He asks, and all of the group shift uncomfortably. The fire crackles so softly.

 

“We were weak,” Sharkteeth says, crossing his arms, “Too weak for the family,” 

 

“So, you’re outcasts?” 

 

“We’re not outcasts,” Purple hisses, “We will prove to the God Twins that we are worthy to be a part of the family,” 

 

“We were unable to kill the Vault Hunters,” Stringbean says, “They broke my face,” He points toward his scar, and Vaughn winces. 

 

“They’ll never understand,” Pip says, “What it means to be a part of a family,” 

 

“I mean,” Vaughn intervenes, grabbing all of their attention, “That’s not at all what a family is, that’s just crazy cult talk,” 

 

They all stare at Vaughn wildly, like he just spoke absolute gibberish, and he laughs awkwardly, shuddering. 

 

“You’re blind,” Pip says, “Like the rest of the lost children,” 

 

“And I’m pretty sure you’re like, fourteen, so stop talking like you’re some ancient prophet,” Vaughn snaps back, and then he gestures to the entire party, “You must’ve all come from somewhere, right? You’ve got actual families, moms, dads, siblings?” 

 

Again, all he gets is silence. 

 

He sighs, “Alright, let me put this in a way you’ll understand,” And then he puts on a low growl, “More meat to ride the death train with you maggot milkshakes,” 

 

Live like a bandit, talk like a bandit.

 

“I hope I never see them again,” Stringbean says, finally understanding Vaughn’s question, “Mama said I shouldn’t throw my life away for a cult,” 

 

“Who cares about that?” Pip growls, “We’ll never go home again,” 

 

Sharkteeth adjusts the goggles covering his eyes, and he laughs, “Moms, dads, sisters, who cares? They’re all just flesh-fuel for the race to the top,” 

 

This is weird. Vaughn winces again, and he rubs the back of his neck.

 

“Jeez,” He sighs, “Dark,” 

 

Purple covers her ears, absolute terror in her voice, “Shut up, shut up, shut up, no more trains, no more trains,” 

 

The rest of the bandits don’t react, but Vaughn’s eyes go wide. Live like a bandit, talk like a bandit, understand a bandit. No more trains means no more family. 

 

“Hey,” He hushes, and once she looks at his comforting face, she slowly removes her hands from her ears, and he gently places a hand on her shoulder, “I understand, we don’t have to talk about that anymore, alright?” 

 

She calms, and the rest of the bandits act like he just performed some sort of miracle. 

 

“You guys are safe here,” Vaughn eventually says, poking at the fire, “You know, if we were back on Pandora, I could bring you to Helios, it's, uh, a pretty big space station, well, not a space station anymore, uh, you know what I mean, it’s shelter,”

 

This is the sort of thing he’d do seven years ago, bring in any lost soul, give them some profound advice, and set their life back in order. He used to be good at this. 

 

“Scary guns,” Sharkteeth eventually says, gesturing to the Atlas troops carrying on with their patrol. Vaughn finds himself looking at the soldiers as well.

 

“Don’t mess with them,” He says, “And they won’t mess with you,” 

 

It’s a strange look, a military stronghold filled with refugees and armored soldiers, with a tiny camp of plucky bandits hanging off the back of it like a leech, but, thankfully, nobody complains, or maybe they’re too terrified to complain. 

 

Vaughn still doesn’t know why he took in the party, but he did, and he can’t back out now. Maybe he’s lonely, maybe he wants to remedy his past mistakes, maybe he misses Rhys. 

 

Whatever.

 

So, he continues on with his small pack of bandits, and he even starts bringing them into Watershed base.

 

Pip stays far away from the crowd, whereas the rest of the cult, not cult, gang, wander the base. 

 

Vaughn actually gets the rest of the gang to start helping the civilians.

 

Sharkteeth and Vaughn carry supply crates around the base, and Vaughn is surprised by his strength.

 

Stringbean actually entertains the children, much to all the exhausted parent’s relief.

 

Purple spends her time arm-wrestling with Lorelei, and all the Atlas troops make their bets. 

 

They all stand out completely amongst the normal people, but they all fit in with Vaughn, because bandits need to stick together. 

 

“Are you actually reforming bandits?” Lorelei asks.

 

“It’s sort of my thing,” Vaughn answers, “Everyone deserves a second chance,”

 

He lives by that.

 

Back in their tiny camp, poking at the fire, Vaughn watches them huddle together.

 

“Alright, so,” He says, “I’ve got a valuable lesson to teach all of you,” 

 

“We’ll listen to everything you say, Vaughn,” Purple says, “Not-Vaughn-God, just Vaughn,” 

 

“Okay, bad idea, because sometimes I say bad things, but this is important,” Vaughn answers, and then continues, “I know you guys were all crazy about the Calypso Twins, and I know you think you’re not worthy, and you want to prove yourselves, or whatever, but,” The fire crackles a little bit louder, “I’ve been in your shoes before, lost, scared, no idea who I am, but I had a family, a real one,” He looks down, then back at the party, “Not by blood, actually, but family that I found, that actually cared about me as a person, so,” He pauses, sucking in a breath, “There are people out there that will care about you, unlike people like the Calypso twins, that just want to use you. I know you think you’ve found your family, but believe me, family is something more than opening vaults, or livestreams, or weird siren-y powers.” 

 

“Are we a family?” Stringbean asks.

 

“I mean, if you want, sure, just don’t start calling me dad, or something, that’d be weird,” 

 

Sharkteeth adjusts his bandana, and lets out a mighty bandit shriek.

 

“Big family, big win,” He says, “We’ll kill anyone in our path,”

 

“Okay, uh, loving the enthusiasm,” Vaughn says, pointing at him, “But we are definitely not going to do any of whatever you just said. There are bad guys, and we should kill them, but normal people? They’re fine, and shouldn’t die,” 

 

Sharkteeth looks like he’s taking notes in his head. 

 

“Give us a name,” Stringbean says, “For glory,” 

 

“Shut up,” Purple says, elbowing him, “You’re so loud,” 

 

Stringbean elbows her back, “I will throw you off a building,” 

 

Vaughn’s about to interject, but they suddenly laugh, and give each other side hugs. Alright, crisis averted.

 

“Okay, uh,” He stutters, thinking of a name. He’s sick of cult-y sounding names, so there’s only one answer. It was the name he scoffed at so many years ago, thinking it was cliche, thinking it was dumb, and then they all died. There’s only one answer, even if it makes no sense in this context, “You’re the Helios Hellions, and you’re going to help your fellow COV shake their, uh, cult-y shackles, and become new and better people,” 

 

Sharkteeth pulls his bandana from his mouth to reveal a wide grin, with teeth as sharp as the pattern on the bandana.

 

“Helios Hellions,” He shrieks, “Bandit life,” 

 

And then the rest of them join in, even Pip, so, Vaughn gives in, giving another encore of screaming ‘Bandit life’ until one of the civilians in the Watershed base throw something at them, screaming that some people are trying to get some sleep.

 

He feels alive again.

 

He has a life again. 

 

So, they all sleep in their own stolen tents, and everyone can hear Stringbean’s horrible snoring.

 

Vaughn doesn’t sleep, though. He just stares up through the nearly opaque fabric of the tent, staring up at the sky, and the occasional neon colored death laser.

 

So, he took in a ragtag team of former COV, and now they’re a family, he wonders if Rhys has done anything this fun in years. 

 

Rhys.

 

Rhys is somewhere in this city, living large and stressed, a war on his hands.

 

But Vaughn? Vaughn’s happier than he has been in a long, long time. This is what he should be doing.

 

Whatever Rhys is doing, it’ll never be this interesting. 

 

Then, there’s a movement, the sound of somebody running their fingers against Vaughn’s tent, so he sits up, squints his eyes, and realizes the tiny figure is Pip.

 

He scoots over, and quickly unzips the tent.

 

“Hey, Pip,” He whispers, “Are you alright?” 

 

“My name is Jamie,” They say, kicking their feet, “Can I stay in your tent? It’s lonely,”

 

Vaughn instantly scoots aside, allowing them to crawl in with him, “Of course, yeah, uh, nice to meet you, Jamie,” 

 

So, they take a seat, face still behind a mask.

 

“Can I tell you a secret?” They ask.

 

Vaughn scratches his chin, fingers tangling in his beard, and he says, “I’m really good at keeping secrets,” He smiles, hoping to lighten the mood. 

 

“Me and my brother joined the bad people, but then he got killed by the scary Vault Hunters,” 

 

Vaughn’s mouth goes agape.

 

They’re so blunt about it that it hits Vaughn like a train.

 

“I’m so sorry,” He says.

 

“Do you think I’ll be a normal kid ever again?” 

 

Vaughn doesn’t hesitate to answer, “I think you’ll be okay, Jamie, I have a friend, actually, he used to always tell me this thing,”

 

He’s reminded of his first conversation with Tiny Tina, another scared kid thrust in an adult world.

 

“Slow down, take a deep breath, and you’ll be okay, alright? We’ll find you somewhere safe, and you’ll never have to deal with that,” He nearly says shit, but he keeps himself from cursing, “Bad stuff again, okay?” 

 

They nod so sadly, and Vaughn’s sure he can hear a sniffle from behind the mask. 

 

So awkwardly and slowly, Vaughn pulls them into the tightest of hugs, repeating that they’ll be okay. 

 

Vaughn still doesn’t sleep for the rest of the night, but that’s okay. 

 

When things start getting busier outside, Vaughn’s sure it’s a normal time to get up, so carefully, not trying to wake Jamie up from where they’re sleeping, Vaughn climbs out of his tent, and greets the couple of Atlas guards on their patrol. 

 

And then he looks up at his perch, and does a double-take.

 

“Oh, hey Zer0,” He greets, calling up to Zer0, watching them sit with one foot dangling off the edge.

 

“Nothing but garbage, on my poor old resting place, I will now blame you,” They say, throwing down a soda can at Vaughn’s feet.

 

“Uh, sorry, Zer0. I didn’t know that was your perch, I just sort of sat up there. Squatter’s rights, y’know?” 

 

‘>_<’ Flashes on their face, and Vaughn sheepishly laughs. They throw another soda can at him.

 

“Alright, alright, jeez, I get it,” He whines, and Zer0 shows off by easily jumping off the perch to the ground below, no fall damage attached. 

 

“It smells like garbage, the smell of crazy bandits, are these your new 'friends'?” Zer0 asks, gesturing to Vaughn’s makeshift camp. 

 

“Uh, yeah, it is, and they’re not crazy. They’re just,” He takes a second to come up with the word, “Misguided. I’m helping them out, y’know?” 

 

“Will they remain here? Or will you take them somewhere, that isn't near here?” 

 

“Are you trying to nicely kick us out?” Vaughn asks, “Because that’s what it feels like,” 

 

“Maybe,” Zer0 replies, flashing a ‘LOL’ on their face.

 

“Hey, you and your Vault buddies took over my base, and I let you, so, hey, this is payback,” Vaughn retorts, and Zer0’s fingers twitch closer to their sword. Vaughn caves, “Okay, okay, sorry, don’t stab me,” 

 

“Do not worry, Vaughn, I have just the place to go, one that is very empty” They say, tapping something on their mask. Vaughn assumes they have some sort of echo communicator related screen in there, “Nobody will mind, if you take your weirdo friends, to this new location,” 

 

Vaughn’s echo device makes a notification sound.

 

“Where is it?” He asks.

 

‘;)’ Is his response.

 

“Yeah, alright, I expected that,”

 

And then Lorelei opens the front door, calling to Zer0 from the top of the stairs.

 

“Hey, Zer0, I just made a fresh pot of coffee,”

 

Zer0 turns around, and their response is, “I am the shadowed ghost, among this world of death, I don't drink coffee.”

 

“Yeah, whatever you say. It’s real good coffee, though,”

 

‘...’ Pops up on their screen.

 

“I will drink coffee once. I am parched.” 

 

So, Vaughn hides his laughter with his hand while Zer0 disappears up the stairs. 

 

“You want some too, Vaughn?” Lorelei asks as Zer0 passes by her.

 

Vaughn shakes his head, “No, I’m good, coffee makes me nauseated,” 

 

“Suit yourself,” She replies. 

 

Vaughn takes a seat at the bottom of the stairs, and awaits his gang to awaken, and to pass the time, he checks the location Zer0’s trying to take them.

 

He makes a confused face once he sees what it actually is, but he can’t look at it too long, as somebody sits next to him, and he nearly yelps from the surprise.

 

“Sorry,” Skyman says, “Just came to say hi,” 

 

“Uh, hey, Skyman,” Vaughn says, “Thanks, for uh, not yelling at me for stealing your stuff,” 

 

Skyman waves it off, “Don’t worry about it, dude, we’ve got plenty of supplies to go around, uh, can I ask you something?”

 

“Should I be worried?” Vaughn asks, and Skyman laughs.

 

“No, not at all, uh, I wanted to ask you about your gang. You’ve got a kid in there, right?” 

 

“Jamie,” Vaughn says, “And, yeah, I do,” 

 

“Well,” Skyman says, adjusting his helmet, “I’ve got a kid of my own, actually. If you’re worried about Jamie getting hurt, well, I could keep them here, where it’s safe,” 

 

“So, you’re offering to adopt them?” Vaughn asks, giving him an odd look.

 

“Yeah, I am, actually. I don’t like the idea of a kid being in a shitty place like this, so,” 

 

“They’ve been through a lot,” Vaughn says, “Dead brother, I don’t think they have any parents,”

 

Skyman shakes his head sadly.

 

“Damn shame,”

 

“But,” Vaughn continues, “I’ll have to ask them,” Vaughn answers, “But, you’re right, this place is probably best for them. Zer0 practically kicked us out, so we'll probably get moving soon,” 

 

“Did Zer0 do that?” Skyman asks, “Damn. Yeah, they’re an asshole, which is why I keep my distance,” 

 

“I tend not to argue with them, they’re, uh, intimidating. Nice, sometimes, but mostly intimidating,” 

 

“You know they’re, like, super-bros with Rhys, or something?” Skyman says, laughing, “I wonder if they drive each other crazy, like, all the time,” 

 

For some reason, that makes Vaughn feel sad.

 

Will he ever escape the mention of Rhys’s name? Probably not, while he’s still on this planet.

 

“Yeah, probably,” Vaughn says, sounding like he’s not even interested in the conversation. 

 

“Oh, hey, your gang’s awake,” Skyman says, gesturing to the currently rattling tents.

 

“Finally,” Vaughn sighs, getting up from his seat, and he watches Stringbean, Purple, and Sharkteeth emerge from their tents, “Good, uh, morning? To you guys!” 

 

“My brain is being destroyed,” Sharkteeth says, “Kill me,” 

 

“We’ll get you some painkillers, buddy,” Vaughn replies, “How are you, Purple?” 

 

“I had the scariest dream,” She says, “I was surrounded by kittens, all fuzzy and adorable,” 

 

Stringbean shudders.

 

“My face hurts,” He says, “I am feeling the urge to kill for revenge,” 

 

Vaughn looks at Skyman, and then back to Stringbean.

 

“Uh, please don’t do that,” He advises, “I’m sure we can release our rage in more healthier, non murderous ways,” He says with a smile.

 

And then Jamie climbs out of Vaughn’s tent, their hand slinking past their mask to rub at their eyes. 

 

“Hi, Jamie,” Vaughn says, “I’ve got a friend that wants to meet you, is that okay?” 

 

Jamie looks at him, and takes a tiny step forward. 

 

“Okay,” They say, hands behind their back. 

 

If Vaughn’s going to drag his gang across the city, he wants Jamie to remain somewhere safe, and besides, a child has no right being at a bar.

 

“Hi, Jamie,” Skyman says, crouching down to their height, “I’m Skyman,” 

 

Vaughn watches him reach for his mask, and then twist it off, and Vaughn sees that as trying to appear more friendlier. Skyman has a face of freckles, and long black hair pulled into a tight ponytail. 

 

“I heard you’ve been through some pretty tough stuff,” He says, nodding, “I’m real sorry to hear that. I want you to know that you’re not alone. I’ve lost a lot of close people, too. If it’s alright with you, I’d like you to stay here at Watershed. You’ll be safe, and there’s a lot of people that’ll care for you,” 

 

Vaughn decides to stay out of it, along with the rest of the Hellions.

 

“I don’t wanna see dead bodies, anymore,” Jamie says, kicking their foot across the ground.

 

“You won’t have to,” Skyman says, offering a hand, “I’ll keep you safe and sound,” 

 

Jamie looks at Vaughn, and Vaughn offers a smile.

 

“I trust him,” Vaughn says, “Atlas is full of good people,” 

 

“Okay,” Jamie says, taking Skyman’s hand. 

 

“You wanna ride on my back?” Skyman asks, “I’ll show you around the base,” 

 

They instantly cheer up, and Vaughn watches them climb onto Skyman, and as Skyman stands back up, he pulls his helmet back on. 

 

“I’ll come visit, Jamie,” Vaughn says, waving, “I promise,” 

 

“Okay,” Jamie answers, giving him a wave in response. 

 

And then the rest of the bandits holler.

 

“You found a family,” Sharkteeth shrieks, “Just like what Vaughn said,” 

 

“This isn’t a death-meat train,” Stringbean says, grinning, “It’s a happy train, and I hate it!”

 

“Good job, tiny,” Purple says, “Live your life,” 

 

So, Jamie waves goodbye to the rest of their fellow bandit, and Skyman carries them away, listing off the history of the base.

 

That’s another saved life, Vaughn notes, and he’s happier than ever. 

 

“Alright,” Vaughn says, turning around to face his gang, “Helios Hellions, we’re moving base. First things first, we are going to steal Atlas guns,” 

 

Well, he doesn’t always come up with the best plans. 

 

Lorelei doesn’t ask when Vaughn and his ragtag team run into Watershed, and she doesn’t ask as they run back out with their weapons. All she does is take the longest sip of coffee in her life. 

  
  


This is the part where Rhys hangs up. 

 

He pinches the bridge of his nose as he rolls his chair away from his desk. The heel of his boot spins him around to face the window. A screen is in the way of the view that haunts him. 

 

“What,” Rhys hisses, and Katagawa looks down on him to meet his gaze.

 

“Somebody’s in a bad mood,” Katagawa muses, Rhys can’t tell if his tone is accusatory or lighthearted. It’s hard to tell nowadays. “How’s it going over on the losers side, bud?” 

 

Rhys has the nastiest glare on his face. 

 

“Fuck you,” Rhys spits.

 

“Don’t be like that,” Katagawa says, “We both know you don’t really mean it,” 

 

Rhys spins himself back around, and he places his head in his hand. He knows Katagawa is still staring at him, glaring. He doesn’t like being watched. 

 

“What do you want, Katagawa?” Rhys asks in the most tired tone he can muster. He feels a weight on his chest. 

 

“Just checking in,” Katagawa answers, and Rhys can hear the smile on his voice. It’s followed by a heavy swallow, and Rhys can tell he’s drinking. 

 

“Don’t call me when you’re drinking,” Rhys replies, not noticing his leg starting to nervously bounce. It’s the sound of his heel clicking against the cold floor that makes him realize he’s even doing it. “Actually, don’t call me when you’re not drinking. Don’t call me at all,” 

 

“What’s your problem?” Katagawa asks, sounding unusually offended, “You’re usually not this serious. Are you finally contemplating handing Atlas over to Maliwan?” 

 

“No,” Rhys says, suddenly wishing he was the one drinking. “No.” 

 

“Oh,” Is all Katagawa says, and then he continues, “Well, give it a few more days, I’m sure you’ll come around. Once this whole ‘Vaughn’ phase passes.” 

 

Rhys can’t see him, but he’s sure Katagawa’s taken aback when Rhys slams his fist on the desk. It’s his metal hand, and he can hear the wood stress under it. He takes a deep breath, and promises himself that he won’t lose his composure. 

 

“Don’t,” Rhys sounds breathless, “Don’t talk about him, okay? Just don’t. I’m dealing with enough on my plate.” 

 

“Well, I can do that. Like I said, it’ll pass, and we’ll go back to being corporate takeover buddies,” Katagawa says, and then laughs like he’s about to say something funny. “You’ll come back, you always do,” 

 

The strain on his chest proves too much, and Rhys leans forward, just to push his chest into the edge of his desk, while his hand pulls his hair. 

 

Shut up, shut up, shut up, ‘You’ll always come back,’ Dream-Jack said, ‘You want to be abused,’ Shut up, shut up, shut up, he’s sick of it, he’s sick of it, Katagawa isn’t Jack, Rhys isn’t Jack, Jack is dead, shut up, shut up, shut up. 

 

It’s fear, he feels, he feels scared.

 

“What are we?” Rhys asks, “Have you ever liked me? Were we ever even friends? I used to think we were, I would make excuses for you, I trusted you, I liked you, even when my employees judged me, I thought we were friends,” Rhys hides his face in both hands now, “Friends don’t do this to each other, they don’t, you’re just,” He wheezes, he can’t breath, “You’re just a jerk,” 

 

“We are friends,” Katagawa replies, words a bit jumbled, “This is just business, nothing personal, Rhys, you can’t let it get to you,” And then he chuckles, like this is just a petty squabble, it’s not, it’s not, it’s not. 

 

He never wants to think about Katagawa again, no more late night drinks with each other, no more talks about pain, and dreams, and memories, and Jack, he’s not doing it again, never again. 

 

“No,” Rhys snaps, “I’m not doing this anymore,” 

 

Rhys stands up from his desk, and he stumbles for a moment. He twists himself around, staring up at the screen above, while Katagawa’s smile so subtly fades. 

 

He can’t do this anymore. He feels like he’s dying. 

 

He’s sick of the fake friendship, he’s sick of the kindness, he’s sick of Katagawa’s sweetness, he’s sick of seeing his face and thinking of that kiss, he’s sick of it. He’s not falling back down, he’s not letting himself slow dance with Katagawa, knowing he’ll always be hiding a knife behind his back, just waiting for his chance to pounce. The kiss meant nothing, just two snakes exchanging venom with each other, anything to let Rhys feel anything other than his own poison.

 

His only friend is his enemy, he realizes, and if he has to ditch Katagawa and be alone forever, he’s okay with that. 

 

“I know I say that, but this time, I really mean it,” He runs his hands down his face, “We’re not friends, friends don’t do this, I can’t do this anymore, it’s,” He digs at his chest, “It’s fucking killing me, and I can’t do it anymore, I don’t care if you want me dead after this, I don’t care if you hit me harder, and harder, I just want you to leave me alone,” He’s started to scream now, “We’re not friends, and we never were, you’re just an asshole, and hey, so am I, I know that now, but I am tired of it, okay? I want to be left alone forever,”

 

He can’t stop screaming now. His throat is burning, but he can’t stop. It’s venom, venom in his throat. He recalls his mother calling it his ‘silver tongue’. 

 

“Just leave me alone,” Rhys’s eyes sting, he isn’t sure if he’s crying now, “So I can focus on destroying your stupid company before you destroy mine,” 

 

And then, they stare at each other. They’ve known each other for years, yet Rhys has never seen this look on Katagawa’s face. The silence is chilling. 

 

“Oh,” Is all Katagawa says, expression dropping significantly. 

 

Katagawa is devastated. 

 

Rhys looks away, because he suddenly feels horrible. 

 

In the corner of his eye, that predatory yellow eye burns a little brighter. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Katagawa says, straightening his tie, “For bothering you, Mr. Strongfork,” 

 

The devastation fades, and that bravado is back, much colder this time. It unsettles Rhys.

 

“I’ll see you on the battlefield, then, General,” 

 

“See you never,” Rhys replies, just as spiteful, “Kiddo,” 

 

Rhys hangs up on Katagawa, and he’s left with a screen of static.

 

he wipes his face with his sleeve in the aftermath, and then he screams again. He doesn’t care about the pain in his throat. His eyes squeeze shut, and he hears the sound of glass. When he opens his eyes, his robotic fist is in the window, and the spider-web cracks all reflect the burning look in his eye. A whole audience of judges, all wearing his face. He wants to hit the glass again, and again, and again, but he doesn’t. In the corner of his eye, he knows the trophy case sees him. He’s waiting for Jack’s slow-clapping. He knows it’s going to come. It’ll come, and it won’t ever leave his ears, and he’ll cry, and cry, and cry. Maybe that’s why all the children called him crybaby.

  
  


“This place smells like sadness,” Stringbean says as he steps into the bar, noting it’s trashed appearance.

 

“Yeah, it does, but we can fix that,” Vaughn says, patting his hands together, “Imagine what we could do. We could make this a place where crazy cultists can get help, like you guys,” 

 

That’s making a difference, Vaughn thinks. There’s too many desperate people out there falling in with the wrong crowd, and despite saying ‘crazy cultists’, Vaughn doesn’t really mean it. Everyone deserves a second chance, afterall. 

 

“I can be a guard,” Purple says, “I’m real good at punching stuff,” 

 

“Hell yeah, Purple,” Vaughn congratulates, “Sharkteeth, what can you do?” 

 

Sharkteeth twiddles his fingers and he says, “I can garden,” 

 

Vaughn grins.

 

“That’s a great way to cope,” He replies, “We will get you some things to garden, and you can totally teach any approaching COV how to garden,” 

 

“I like singing,” Stringbean says, scratching the scarred side of his face, “I want to sing,”

 

“Then sing, bro!” Vaughn says, “I’m like, really good at motivational speeches, so imagine all the people we could be helping,” 

 

Purple slams her hands on the bar table. 

 

“We’re the good guys,” She says, “Let’s be great guys,” 

 

“I’m liking the enthusiasm,” Vaughn says, giving her a thumbs up. 

 

The bar has been through a lot, Vaughn thinks. 

 

Its seen a lot of things Vaughn would never expect, too, but bars don’t speak, so he’ll never know. 

 

The occasional CEO’s mental breakdown, the occasional kiss with no feeling, the occasional bandit looking to get wasted, and now it’s a recovery center, put together by a bunch of bandits. 

 

Vaughn makes a new flag from the remains of an Atlas flag, repainting it to suit his own needs, and he hangs it high on the roof of the bar, surrounded by the rubble of destroyed buildings, and below the laser light show in the skies. 

 

It’s no Helios, but it’s a home away from home. This is what Vaughn is meant to do. He’s a leader, and nothing will change that. 

 

Does he ever regret his life choices? Maybe, sometimes, but right now, in this moment, he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

 

He looks up at the sky above, where Atlas stands among the rest like a castle, and he thinks.

 

He loves Rhys, he knows that nothing will change that. 

 

Maybe that doesn’t matter, he thinks, maybe it never will, but he tells himself that’s okay. 

  
  


“Vaughn said hi,” Lorelei says, staring up at Holo-Rhys with arms crossed.

 

Rhys stutters.

 

“Oh, uh, he did? That’s, uh, yeah, really cool, super cool, uh, hi? No, wait, tell him I said hi, uh, please, that’d be great, uh, did he say? Anything else?”

 

“Nope, just said hi,” 

 

“Oh, uh, okay,” 

 

“But, in my opinion, I’m not either of your messengers, so, y’know,” 

 

“Right, uh, sorry, yeah, it’s fine, don’t worry about it, uh,” He coughs into his fist, and smiles for a second, but it fades when she doesn’t smile, “Sorry, by the way, for, uh, being a jerk,” 

 

She raises a brow.

 

“You, uh, really got to me, I think. I really have been a jerk to you, to everyone, and I don’t want to be like that, so, uh, thanks, Lorelei,” 

 

“Are you just saying that, or are you actually gonna act better?”

 

“I cut Katagawa off,” Rhys answers, “No more Katagawa, I am focusing purely on this war,” 

 

She seems surprised.

 

“Oh, uh, wow,” She replies, “Good on you, Rhys,” 

 

“I feel like we’ll actually win this, Lorelei,” He says, “I’ve got to apologize to Zer0, do you think they’d like a new sword? A new gun?” 

 

Lorelei begins to giggle.

 

“I’ve got better things to take care of Rhys, more important than what gift you’re going to give to Zer0,” She says.

 

“Right, uh, you do that, and I will, uh, do important business things,” He replies, rubbing the back of his neck, “Holo-Rhys out,”

 

“You really don’t have to call yourself Holo-Rhys when you’re on the holographic messenger, Rhys,”

 

“Holo-Rhys likes feeling cool,” Rhys says, and she shakes her head, still laughing.

 

So, he hangs up, and again, he’s alone. 

 

Why did he react that way when Lorelei mentioned Vaughn?

 

Maybe it’s because he said hi.

 

Vaughn still cares.

 

No, shut up, that’s dumb.

 

Maybe he still cares, and that means the world to him. 

 

Jack once said that you judge your success based upon the destruction all around you, you’ve got to break it down to build it back up.

 

Rhys can't let himself fall into that. Maybe, long ago, that was true, but not anymore. Rhys looks back at the spider-web cracks in his window, and something stirs inside him. 

 

No more destruction, no more sadness, no more pain, no more being a bad person. He needs to be better, a better CEO, a better boss, a better general, a better friend. 

 

But, he is definitely not going to actually do anything to reach out to Vaughn. Baby steps, he tells himself, baby steps. 

 

It’s nice to know Vaughn said hi, though.


	12. Vaughn’s Memories Are Burned Into His Mind, And Why Rhys Is The Way He Is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO UH ITS BEEN AWHILE HUH? WELCOME BACK!!!

It has been awhile, hasn’t it?

 

For Vaughn, anyways, surrounded by a team of weirdos. He wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s been a couple of days since moving to the abandoned bar Zer0 sent them to, and they finally cleared up all the broken glass inside. With the erratic night and day cycle, that neon ‘OPEN’ sign stays glowing more often than it’s dim, like it’s a business still in operation, Vaughn’s School for Wayward Bandits, open to all. Well, it’s just an open sign for a place to drown your sorrows in alcohol and sadness, but still, Vaughn likes to remain on the optimistic side of things. Purple and Sharkteeth get into the occasional altercation, but it’s nothing Vaughn can’t handle, just an emotional speech and the two are hugging it out in an instant. Stringbean on the other hand has gotten even more reserved, keeping himself on the roof to clear his mind. Vaughn never asks him about it, because he gets it. Vaughn doesn’t complain once Atlas starts sending supplies their way, usually accompanied by a soldier or two. Vaughn considers writing a thank you letter to Lorelei, concluding Lorelei must be the one making the call. There’s still the occasional Maliwan cyclone roaring past, and sometimes Vaughn’ll see what looks like a Vault Hunter running rampant through the streets, but trouble never comes knocking, only grazing the door with its knuckles. 

 

So, it’s Vaughn, Purple, Sharkteeth and Stringbean, and that’s not even getting into the other bandits that have come across their little ‘OPEN’ sign. 

 

The first one is Steven, who seems completely nonchalant about the whole thing. He’s covered in a large assortment of spikes and feathers, and talks like he stepped out of a Bunkers and Badasses meetup in college. 

 

“How did you even end up in a crazy bandit cult?” Vaughn asks, twiddling his thumbs on the table.

 

“I dunno,” Steven answers, “I’m totally a fan of streamers, and the Calypso twins, are like, the biggest thing right now,” 

 

Vaughn’s a nerd, too, but now he feels to urge to shove Steven into a locker.

 

There’s also The. His name is The. Vaughn questioned it too.

 

“Your name is The?” Vaughn asks again, the weirdest look on his face. 

 

The slams his hands on the table, nearly breaking it, and he screams, “I am The, and don’t you fucking forget it,” 

 

Vaughn shrugs.

 

“Alright, I guess? Welcome to the Hellions?” 

 

“Thank you,” The shrieks, hitting the table again. 

 

And then there’s Deathrider Amelia, who’s much, much taller than Vaughn, with an even larger buzz axe in her hand. She appears, screaming about the Twin Gods, and nearly taking off Vaughn’s arm while she’s at it. It’s when Vaughn offers her a bottle of water when she cuts herself off. She doesn’t stay for long, but Vaughn hears the faintest, scratchiest ‘Thank you’ from her oversized mask. 

 

Two girls named Bloodshine and Tumorhead come by, announcing they’ve just been married. 

 

“I am so happy for you two,” Vaughn says, hands on his sides. 

 

“I am going to kiss her so many times I freaking explode,” Bloodshine screams.

 

“I love my baby so much,” Tumorhead squeals, arms around her newly-wed wife, “We’re going to start a taco-truck,” 

 

Vaughn has the stupidest grin on his face, figuring that even bandits can find love.

 

They also don’t stay for too long, since Vaughn doesn’t want to keep them from their truck driving dreams, so he offers a few supplies, and sends them on their way. The rest of the Hellions gag at the wives’ incessant public displays of affection, but Vaughn doesn’t mind one bit. 

 

“So, quick quesh,” Vaughn says, right before they leave, “Are you guys still COV?” 

 

“My beautiful buttercup Bloodshine is more important than the Twin Gods,” Tumorhead growls, “I’ll kill any god that stands in the way of my baby Bloodshine,” 

 

“I am so crazily in love with you,” Bloodshine says, and then she turns to Vaughn,  “Thank you, you short, little man,”

 

When they walk away, they walk away holding each other’s hands, their weapons swinging in the others, and Vaughn is left watching them go.

 

So, maybe bandits can find love. Vaughn decides to put a pin in that.

 

Vaughn doesn’t talk about the lonesome Atlas soldier that seems more like a ghost than a person. 

 

She doesn’t say her name, and Vaughn doesn’t even know what she looks like, but Vaughn agrees to never mention that he has seen her to anyone. It’s weird, but Vaughn's seen weirder, so he doesn’t ask. She seems like she’s been through enough. She’s gone faster than Vaughn can blink. 

 

There’s more, a lot more, that come by, though they rarely stay for too long. The ones that do, well, they’re Hellions now. Vaughn’s good at that, he guesses, like he’s some sort of magnet that other people gravitate to. That sounds like he’s putting himself on a pedestal, but it usually gets him into trouble more often than it helps him. He thinks back to the Children of Helios, although he really shouldn’t, he thinks. 

 

So, on this particular day, during one of the dark hours, Vaughn sits on one of the stools, eyes cast on the ground, a normal look for a sad drunk. Everyone’s either asleep or keeping to themselves.

 

“What’s your story?” One of the newer members asks, her name being Murder. She asks this while playing a game of five finger fillet by herself, “You know all about us, seems fair we know about you,” 

 

Vaughn picks his head up, and swivels his stool around, eyes wide like an owl, and he says, “Me?” 

 

“Yeah,” She says, not even looking at the knife in her hand, “You. You came from somewhere, right?” 

 

“I mean,” He stutters, “Yeah, I came from somewhere,” 

 

“So, let’s hear it,” Murder finally drives her knife through the table, and settles in her seat, looking up at Vaughn with furrowed brows. 

 

Some of the other Hellions stir awake, suddenly intrigued in the life story of Vaughn. 

 

Put on the spot, Vaughn finds himself in a pair of old, Hyperion brand shoes, laughing awkwardly and hiding behind the shoulder of a man who doesn’t exist. 

 

“Uh, yeah, uh, alright, cool, I can do that,” Vaughn says, clapping his hands together. “Where do I even start?” 

 

Murder shrugs, raising a single brow, “Wherever you feel like starting. Don’t make it too long, though,” 

 

Vaughn scratches his jaw, fingers tangling in his unkempt beard, and he says, “Okay, uh, my life didn’t really start until,” 

 

Until Rhys, he wants to say, but they don’t know who Rhys is.

 

“Until college,” 

 

Murder suddenly laughs. “You went to college?” 

 

Rolling his eyes, Vaughn speaks more clearly, “Yeah, I did. Anyways,” 

 

He adjusts thick-framed glasses, and he worries, what if my roommate is some big jerk, what if he’s one of those jocks, what if, he pushes the door open with his shoulder when he realizes it’s opened just a little bit, and he steps into his new home for the next year or two or four, his right arm is dying from the amount of books he’s trying to carry around, he never was strong, but he doesn’t mind too much about that. His roommate’s already a few steps ahead of him, sifting through all sorts of papers on a round, wooden table, he looks tall, really tall, much taller than Vaughn, so Vaughn swallows his dreams of a friend, accepting he’ll be stuck with another douchebag, but then his roommate turns around, two wide brown eyes brighter than the flickering overhead light above them, the roommate stutters, and then says, oh, hey, you’re my roommate, uh, hi, and then Vaughn watches his right arm nearly swing out for a handshake, but then the roommate changes his mind about hands, and offers his left, I’m Rhys, he says, and Vaughn takes his hand, their grips both weak and wimpy, though neither of them notice, when Vaughn lets his hand drop to his side, Rhys takes notice of his shirt, Hackathon, he asks, and Vaughn tenses, hand going to hide the design, but then Rhys says, nice, and Vaughn feels better. He thinks his other hand has gone numb, so he puts the books down eventually. 

 

Come on, guys, Vaughn says, groaning, cut it out, Joshua the Frat Boy laughs, giving Vaughn a push, and Vaughn wonders if he ever left high school, What’s the matter, nerd, Joshua the Frat Boy asks, Gonna cry about it in your nerd books, Vaughn winces, Shut up, he says, and he gets pushed again, he can’t fight back, so he shrinks, and shrinks, and then somebody is pushing past him, and in front of Joshua the Frat Boy, and Rhys is saying, Leave him alone, jackass, Joshua the Frat Nerd snorts, Awh, you’ve got a friend, and then Rhys says, I know your dad probably regrets ever raising you, but you probably shouldn’t take that out on other people, and Vaughn goes slack-jawed, watching Rhys get punched so hard he falls backwards onto the ground, a loud, loud thud ringing out, Joshua the Frat Boy spits on Rhys, and kicks him, and leaves, and Vaughn drops to his knees, sputtering and whining, Oh my god, Rhys, he croaks, Are you okay, and Rhys makes a funny sound that is probably a laugh, and he wheezes, Yeah, I showed him, Vaughn helps him onto his feet, and Rhys has a wide, crooked grin on his face, with the blood from his nose staining his teeth. 

 

He doesn’t tell the Hackathon shirt story.

 

“Wait, wait, slow down,” Murder says, shaking her hands, “You’re going a mile a minute, here, I have no idea what you just said,” 

 

Maybe Vaughn went a little bit too fast, ranting and ranting, but that’s because that really is what it felt like, rushing, rushing, rushing too fast, a scared little mouse outrunning everything it sees. 

 

“Uh, sorry,” He says, chuckling about nothing, “I’ll slow down,” 

 

He’s quiet for a moment, everyone in the room watching intently, like a couple of students waiting for story-time.

 

“After I got out of college, Rhys and I immediately got scooped up by Hyperion,” He winces when he utters the dreaded H, with everyone in the room seemingly reacting so subtly.

 

‘Hey, uh, you mind if I sit with you guys?’ A girl asks, ‘Actually, can I just get you to pay for my lunch?’ Rhys is about to answer, but Vaughn answers for him, ‘Sure,’ He says, ‘Uh, are you new here?’ The girl smiles, ‘Yeah, I am. Just transferred in, Yvette,’ Vaughn sits up, and he gestures to him, ‘That’s Rhys, and I’m Vaughn,’ Rhys says, ‘You know you’re talking to like, the dorkiest people here, right? Might be a bad look for you,’ All wrapped in a sarcastic tone, and Vaughn rolls his eyes, ‘Come on, Rhys,’ He pauses, ‘But, uh, he’s kind of right, we’re losers,’ Yvette folds her arms across her chest and she tilts her head, ‘Yeah, I see that, but, hell, losers stick together, right? And, uh, about that lunch,’ Vaughn happily pays for her, flaunting his paycheck, and as she steps out with a tray in her hands, Vaughn adjusts his metal bowtie, ‘Hey, thanks, Vaughn,’ Yvette says, smiling, ‘No problem, Yvette, like you said, losers stick together, even if it means paying for lunch,’ And she sits with them, a third part of the puzzle.

 

Vaughn sits back in his comfy accounting chair, balancing a pen on his upper lip, Yvette stands with her shoulder against the wall of his cubicle, and she says, ‘Hey, you doing anything tonight?’ and Vaughn gently sways his seat side to side, ‘Uh, I don’t know, Yvette, my schedules pretty racked, I’ve got a bad horror movie marathon tonight, it’s pretty urgent,’ Yvette rolls her eyes, laughing softly, ‘Yeah, that sounds pretty important, but you wanna know what’s even more important? Actually doing something fun,’ Vaughn sits up, sighing, ‘Alright, Yvette, what horrible thing are you about to drag me in,’ Yvette gives him a funny look, ‘Calm down, Rhys and I are just going out to a bar together, thought you’d like to tag along,’ Vaughn scoots his chair in, glaring, ‘Yeah, tag along, great that I’m a second thought, though,’ Well, he’s a sidekick, and Yvette’s expression softens, saying, ‘Come on, Vaughn, you know I didn’t mean it like that, you barely do anything except work, we thought you could use a little break,’ Vaughn sighs, ‘No, no thanks, you find another nerdy tag along, and I’ll stick to my movie marathons,’ Yvette awkwardly stands up straight, and she says, ‘Alright, Vaughn, you do you. See you tomorrow,’ Vaughn doesn’t ask any questions when Rhys stumbles into their apartment drunk and drunker, passing out on their couch. He just throws a blanket over him and leaves Rhys a couple painkillers for the morning on the end table.

 

‘Everyone in middle management? Complete douchebags, all of them,’ She’s the new girl in accounting, Vaughn feels better knowing she’s his height, so he doesn’t have to look up, ‘Harsh,’ He says, ‘I’ve got a buddy in there, you’ve seen Rhys around, right?’ Sara snorts, sipping her off brand soda, ‘That guy, seriously? He’s, like, one of the worst ones. You can tell he’s trying to be another Handsome Jack, which, newsflash, we don’t need another one,’ Vaughn laughs, ‘Don’t let the big guy hear you say that, he might, I don’t know, send a moonstrike on your entire family or something,’ Sara rolls her eyes, ‘Seriously, though, how do you put up with that guy?’ Vaughn answers honestly, ‘It’s an act, y’know, he’s not really that douchey, he’s just acting that way so Henderson likes him more, he’s not that bad of a guy, he’s, like, my best friend,’ Sara says, ‘And he’s an asskisser, too, Vaughn, I am so sorry, buddy, you need some new friends,’ Sara eventually goes missing, just another Hyperion lowlife gone from the books, and Vaughn doesn’t ask, because nobody at Hyperion asks. 

 

“Hyperion’s such a piece of shit,” Murder groans, “I’m guessing you dropped out once HJ got sliced,” 

 

“Not exactly,” Vaughn says, “I stuck around, probably because Yvette and Rhys stuck around,” 

 

‘Handsome Jack’s dead,’ Somebody, somewhere said, ‘Killed by Vault Hunters,’ ‘Handsome Jack’s dead,’ Vaughn says, echoing their words against the walls of Rhys’s office, ‘Yet you keep those posters,’ He doesn’t like looking at the eyes looking down at him. ‘Hey,’ Rhys says, ‘They’re motivational, just, y’know, a reminder, if some Hyperion stooge can make it to the big leagues, maybe I can do it too,’ Vaughn sighs, ‘Whatever you say, Rhys,’  And then, when they’re in a stolen car, Rhys says, ‘Ready for our lives to change?’ 

 

Vaughn never answers. 

 

“Ten million dollars?” Murder seems shocked, “That’s a fuckton,”

 

Vaughn smiles, “Yeah, and I stole it in like, about five seconds.”

 

“Okay, okay, stop bragging about it, get on with the story,” 

 

Vaughn’s in a shadow, growing bigger and bigger, he doesn’t get too much to say. 

 

‘Rhys,’ He screams, handcuffed to a car, ‘Rhys,’ calling for a rescue, calling for a hero, because he never could solve things by himself.

 

‘Man up, Vaughn,’ Fiona says, ‘I can’t keep bailing you out of things,’ So he tries to deal with it himself, and for once, it goes his way, mostly. 

 

Rhys’s smile as Vaughn babbles about a watch makes Vaughn’s heart do all sorts of things. 

 

Vaughn always vouched for Rhys, maybe more than he should’ve, excuses and excuses and excuses, ‘He just needs some air,’ 

 

Hand in hand, Rhys was always there to catch him. 

 

He believes Rhys when Rhys says, ‘Three,’

 

And the Hellions don’t suspect a thing when he leaves anything Vazquez said out of the story. It was a mistake. 

 

Vaughn doesn’t question anything when Rhys murders everything in sight with Atlas tech, because Hyperion lowlifes don’t question anything. 

 

Vaughn speaks faster and faster, because there’s not much to say. It wasn’t his story, after all. Rhys could probably tell the story better, he thinks. 

 

He doesn’t mention the part in the caravan where Vaughn wants to take Rhys’s hand in his, laying side by side with him on the floor, where Rhys is out cold, snoring and drooling, Vaughn wants to take Rhys’s hand in his, but he doesn’t. 

 

Vaughn pulls Rhys down to his height, because that’s the only way he can hug Rhys, and he feels like the world’s been lifted off his chest when he feels Rhys wrap his arms around him tightly.

 

Cassius was nice enough for the moment, Vaughn thinks about the murderous, plant monster Cassius, and not the quiet, hermit crab of a man they met in that dome. 

 

Vaughn grabs His arm, and he says, ‘Get, get out, of, uh,’ He can’t speak, he’s choking on his words, and He looks down at Vaughn, and says, ‘What’s Dopey gonna do, huh, bore me to death? Get it, ‘cuz you’re a dweeb,’ 

 

Gun at his back, and Cassius is pawning him off. He holds no grudges. 

 

Getting stabbed isn’t fun. 

 

‘This has nothing to do with collateral,’ Rhys says, ‘We’ll find you when this is all over,’ and Vaughn doesn’t hesitate to say, ‘I know you will,’ 

 

And then, he’s on his own. 

 

“So this Vallory chick, just dumped you, took all your friends, and fucked off into space?” Murder asks.

 

Vaughn casts his gaze to the ground, nervously twiddling his thumbs. “Uh, yeah, basically. I was on my own after that. I had to figure out how to actually use a gun, and, uh, without Rhys, I sort of found my own ground in the world,” 

 

Murder leans back in her seat, and she asks, “You talk a lot about Rhys,” She chuckles, “You really like the guy,” 

 

“He’s my best friend,” Vaughn replies, shrugging, “And, uh, I had sort of a crush on him,” 

 

“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious,” Murder laughs. 

 

Vaughn ducks his head even more, and continues. 

 

To be honest, Vaughn cannot say much about this period. Day after day, alone and isolated, during this time, Vaughn feels like he’s asleep. 

 

And then he woke up, the space station in the sky his wake up alarm. 

 

There’s nothing left in the remains, just a couple hundred people lost and confused, and a severed hand in a circle of fire. 

 

So, he’s the Father of Helios. 

 

“And, uh, things happened, and I ended up here,” Vaughn closes the storybook.

 

Murder remains unconvinced, but she doesn’t pry. “Pretty long story, I think we just went through five nights,” 

 

“Oh, crap,” Vaughn says, “Sorry, guys, I guess I just, uh, got carried away.” 

 

Purple’s been laying on her stomach, resting her head on her hands, and she says, “I like story times,” 

 

Sharkteeth’s fallen asleep, sitting in another one of the booths with his head on the table, like a little bandit angel. 

 

Stringbean doesn’t say anything.

 

And the rest of the Hellions all have their eyes on Vaughn, so Vaughn coughs into his fist, and gets back into the real world.

 

Rhys walks with a little bit of a hunch, while the woman walking by his side stands high, and he tries to speak clearly.

 

“So, uh,” He stutters, already failing his objective, “Are, are, we just going to do this here? In my office?” 

 

“Not many places you can go in a war torn city, so,” She presents Rhys’s office to himself, “Take a seat, Mr. Strongfork,”

 

“Yeah, okay, cool,” Rhys fumbles, and slides into his overly large office chair, while the woman, Abigail’s girlfriend, takes a seat across from him. After a moment of silence, he says, “So, uh, hi, you’re Abigail’s girlfriend,” 

 

“Louise,” She finishes for him, and offers a smile. “Hi,” 

 

Louise sits with her legs crossed, and she has a notepad in one hand, a pen in the other.

 

Rhys rubs the back of his neck, “Uh, yeah, cool, cool, gonna be honest, I’ve never done this before,” 

 

“What, therapy?” She asks, a brow raised.

 

Rhys nods, “Yeah,” 

 

“Well,” Louise says, “Better late than never,” 

 

Minutes pass without a single word, the two exchanging stares, and then Rhys finally says, “I don’t know where to start,” Putting his hands together, he laughs awkwardly, “Help me out here,” 

 

“Start with your day, Rhys, how was your day?” 

 

She has a very nice, calming voice, Rhys notes. 

 

“I got up, I don’t really know the time, made coffee, like a normal person, and, and, I came to work, not much to it, uh, can we get to the actual fixing, I have places to be, you know,” 

 

“This takes time, Rhys,” She says, “Thankfully, I do know a bit about you from Abigail,” 

 

“She talks about me?”

 

“You’re her boss, and she talks to you often, it makes sense she’d talk a little bit about you,” 

 

“Oh, uh, yeah, makes sense, carry on,” 

 

“She says you’ve developed a stutter,” 

 

“What? I, I don’t have a stutter,” Rhys stutters, “Do I?” 

 

“I don’t know, Rhys, I’ve just met you, you tell me,” 

 

Rhys runs a hand through his hair, and his jaw clenches as he thinks. His leg begins to bounce.

 

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” Louise says, “But, stutters can develop when under tremendous amounts of stress. Are you stressed, Rhys?” 

 

“Of course I am, I’m a, a CEO, Louise, I’ve got an entire company to look out for, and I’ve got a full on corporate assault on my hands, of course I’m going to be a little bit stressed,” 

 

“That is understandable, Rhys, but how do you deal with that stress?” 

 

Rhys stares at her, and then his eyes are cast on his desk. 

 

“I don’t,” Rhys tries to say, but his voice dies off, “I, uh,” 

 

He clears his throat, and after an eternity of silence, he says, “You know, I, uh, I had a stutter growing up,” 

 

“Let’s start there, then, Rhys,” 

 

Rhys pats his desk, “Okay, great, just, opening up that can of worms, cool, I can do that,” 

 

“I believe in you, Rhys,” 

 

“Uh, sure, thanks, okay, childhood,” 

 

Rhys is the most popular kid in school, everyone wants to be his friend, he has straight As, and his father could never be prouder. His father puts a hand on his shoulder, saying ‘I’ve always been proud of you,’ and then Rhys is awarded smartest kid award by the president. 

 

“Rhys,” Louise says, concerned. 

 

“What?” Rhys replies, confused, “That’s what happened,”

 

“The truth, please, Rhys,” 

 

Rhys offers her a sad, sad look on his face, and then he caves. He can’t bullshit a certified therapist, so he curses at himself for even trying. 

 

“Okay, Okay, fine, I’ll tell the truth,”

 

‘Mom, stop, stop,” Rhys whines, while his mother drags him towards her, ‘I’m fine,’ and she puts a gentle hand on his shoulder, saying, ‘Honey, you can’t let yourself get hurt again, okay?’ And Rhys pushes her away with his left arm, because the other one can’t do anything, and he says, ‘I don’t wanna be stuck here all day, I wanna go play,’ but his mother shushes him, and he looks up at her tired, tired eyes, ‘You’ll be able to play again soon, Rhysie, just, please, you need your rest,’ And he says, ‘But, I’m not tired,’ 

 

He can’t write with his leftie, in his room, marker in hand, it’s shaking, shaking too much, he can’t write with it, red streaks across the table, the notecards in front of him, and he can’t write his own name, it’s like a bunch of zig zags, a lightning strike of a name, but that isn’t what Rhys wants, he can’t write, he can’t write his own name. 

 

He can’t write with his rightie once the cast comes off, in his room, marker in hand, it’s shaking, shaking too much. He drops the marker, and he stares at his open palm, fingers involuntarily twitching. The doctor called it hand tremors, something about nerve damage, but that was what his mom told him, because Rhys wasn’t really listening to the doctors. His mom said he was perfect, that there was nothing wrong with him, but there was, there is. He wonders what he’d look like with a robot arm, something cool, something badass, something that’d make all of his enemies jealous. 

 

His first day back to school, a kid calls him it again, ‘Freakshow,’ and he doesn’t even hesitate, it all just rolls out of his throat, like he doesn’t even need to try, he doesn’t remember the words, he can’t remember the words, but he remembers the child’s face redden, eyes watering, and then he leaves Rhys alone for the rest of the year, maybe the lanky, freaky kid in the back of the class can be important, can be the bad guy, so nobody else will mess with him, he’ll be the bad guy and nobody else will mess with him again. He’s not strong, he can’t fight back with fists, so he spits, barbed wire in his throat, harsher and harsher words, his mother calls it a silver tongue, Rhys calls it a weapon. Nobody will mess with him again. 

 

“You had a cast?” Louise says, “What happened?” 

 

“Oh, uh, you know, I, uh, got pushed out of a tree,” He answers it like he’s being interrogated by an officer, and then he tries to laugh it off, “Kids will be kids, right?”

 

Louise looks horrified, and Rhys regrets ever calling her. 

 

“That, uh, happened, and I had a cast for awhile, and, you know, nerve damage sucks, like, really bad,” He unknowingly flexes his mechanical fingers, clicking against the desk loudly, “I got over it, I got through it, like I always do,” 

 

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Rhys, no child should have to go through that,” 

 

Rhys’s eyes go wide. “Uh,” He wants to speak, but all he can do is, “Um, uh, uh, hah, wow, okay,” Her eyes flicker down to his prosthetic, and Rhys’s human hand clamps around his metallic wrist, telling himself to stop clicking his fingers, “Sorry,” 

 

She taps her pen against the notepad and she says, “Do you still talk to your mother?” 

 

“No, not really,” 

 

“Why is that, Rhys?” 

 

He lowers his head, throat dry, and he replies, “I don’t know, I guess I just, uh, we got out of touch once I got into college,” 

 

“Do you want to talk to her?” She asks.

 

“I don’t know,” He says, a little bit louder this time, “I don’t really like talking about her, alright? I mean, she wasn’t bad, she, she was trying her best, but, ugh,” He huffs, and falls back into his seat. 

 

“And that’s okay, Rhys,” She shakes her head, “I’m not going to tell you that you are obligated to talk to her, or about her.” 

 

He’s silent for a moment, and then he says, “You are like, uh, really nice, it’s, uh, nice.” 

 

She smiles, “Thank you, Rhys. You said you went to college, how was that for you?” 

 

“Oh,” He leans forward, putting his hands together, “College was a breeze, I, I had a roommate, uh, Vaughn, and he was my best friend,” 

 

“What was Vaughn like?” 

 

Rhys starts bouncing his leg a little bit faster, “He was really nerdy, like me, I was really worried that I’d end up getting some douchebag as a roommate, but when I met him, he was, he was really nice. He was like my wingman, wherever I went, he went, we were, uh, we were bros,” 

 

“That’s great, Rhys,” 

 

His glasses aren’t as thick as Vaughn’s and there’s fingerprints all over them, but he doesn’t really care, because he doesn’t wear them like he should. There’s a time where Rhys and Vaughn sit across from each other, and as a joke, Rhys takes his glasses, puts them on, and asks, ‘How do I look?’ through lenses that feel like they’re trying to pull Rhys’s eyes apart, and Vaughn, the angel, says, ‘I have no idea,’ And Rhys laughs, a high-pitched giggle, and then he returns Vaughn’s glasses, and for some reason, Rhys thinks he’s seeing Vaughn for the first time, he’s focusing, really, really looking at Vaughn, and he smiles that smile, and Vaughn smiles his smile. 

 

Rhys puts a hand on Vaughn’s back, Vaughn is sobbing, crying, and he says, ‘Vaughn, look at me,’ And it’s all from a paper with a D stamped on, Vaughn sobs, and then Rhys grabs his shoulders, he says, ‘Vaughn, you’re gonna be fine, you’re the smartest guy I know, fuck, you’re probably the smartest person in this entire school, one D isn’t going to ruin your life,’ Vaughn looks at him, wide-eyed, and then he pulls Rhys in, wrapping his arms around him like a vice, and Rhys lets him, returning the hug as best as he can.

 

“There was this one time, where, uh, this guy, can’t even remember his name, he was trying to pick a fight with Vaughn, and I just got in between them, that guy nearly broke my nose, Vaughn was like, ‘Why’d you do that?’ ‘Are you okay?’ and I just told him, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine,’ and, uh, I ended up doing that a lot,”  

 

“Protecting Vaughn?” 

 

“Yeah,” Rhys answers, “Better him than me, you know? Besides, I could usually talk my way out of a fight, uh, except that one, he just sort of punched me.” 

 

“You have a habit of getting hurt, don’t you?”

 

Rhys laughs for a second, and then he says, “That’s an understatement,” 

 

“You should take care of yourself better, Rhys,” 

 

He taps his skull, “Don’t worry about me, I’ve got a tough noggin,” 

 

She remains unimpressed.

 

“Uh, yeah, anyways,” He coughs into his fist, “College, huh?” 

 

“Do you and Vaughn still talk now?” 

 

Vaughn has a hand on Rhys’s head, and Rhys isn’t too sure where he is. He feels like everything is happening inside his ears, and it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, ‘It hurts,’ He says, and Vaughn runs his fingers through Rhys’s hair, Rhys doesn’t know if he’s sitting upright or laying down, Vaughn tells him, ‘I know, Rhys,’ He says, ‘I know,’ And Rhys keeps his eyes closed, Vaughn stays with him, he really stays with him through the rest of the night, Rhys turns over, opens his eyes, one of them drowned in blue, and he says, in a shaking, hazey, high tone, ‘You look so pretty in blue,’ Vaughn says something, Rhys doesn’t know what he says, he just watches Vaughn mouth something, and he finds himself saying something too, but he can’t quite recall what he said.

 

The first time Rhys writes his name, he laughs, tears in his eyes, and then he does it again, Rhys, Rhys, Rhys, calling his name like a victory cheer, it’s smooth, fluent, the letters flow into each other, all with a robot hand, Vaughn doesn’t get it, but Rhys’ll never explain it to him.

 

He blinks. 

 

“Uh, yeah, psh, me and him, inseparable, totally,” And after a moment of silence, he corrects himself, “No, not really, and I feel really bad about it, and I suck,” 

 

“Why do you say that, Rhys?” 

 

“Because he, he,” Rhys stutters, “He’s my best friend, and he deserves better than somebody that just leaves him on another planet, I mean, who does that? This guy, I guess! He never left my side, even when he should’ve, he just, he just stayed! From college, to Hyperion, to Pandora, he just, was there for me, and he was so, so great, and he’s, he’s here, on Promethea, and I’m too chicken to actually talk to him again, I mean, I talked to him, of course, but then I, I don’t know what I did, I panicked, I got scared, and I pushed him away, why did I do that?” 

 

“Rhys,” 

 

“Zer0, Lorelei, Abigail, Everyone, all they keep telling me is to get better, be better, and I’m trying, I’m trying, but I feel, I feel, I feel awful, I don’t, I don’t know what to do, I need to be better, I’m the CEO, I’m supposed to be a general! I’m supposed to fight off Maliwan, save Promethea, and run a company, and,”

 

“Rhys,” 

 

“I push, and I push, and I push people away, and I’m mean to people, and I don’t know how to fix it, Fiona’s doing what makes her happy, Sasha,” His voice cracks, threatening to break, “Sasha’s doing what makes her happy, Vaughn’s doing what makes him happy, why am I not happy?” 

 

“Rhys,” 

 

“Why am I not happy?” 

 

“Rhys,” She puts a hand over Rhys’s, “I don’t have all the answers, Rhys, I can’t answer that for you. You need to look deep inside yourself to find the answer,” 

 

“I, can, can I tell you something that I haven’t told anyone?” 

 

She doesn’t say anything, only nodding gently. 

 

“I,” 

 

‘I need a friend,’ ‘I need a friend,’ ‘I need a friend,’ 

 

“I,” 

 

What was he expecting to happen? ‘I’ll take this to my grave, I expect you to do the same,’ ‘You’re afraid of Vaughn realizing that he’s better off without you, so you’re saving yourself the heartbreak, and kicking him out yourself,’ 

 

Katagawa was right.

 

“I did something I shouldn’t have, with somebody I should’ve never been friends with, I, I thought if I did, It’d, I don’t know, suddenly fix my life? That I’d be happy? When really, it, it just made me more, more sad. I still don’t know why I did it, it was, uh, really weird and awkward, when I did it, all I could think of was,” 

 

He freezes, and his body tenses, he opens his mouth, and then he closes it, one thousand words piling in his throat, needing to burst, needing to be released, or he’ll choke. It's been a long time coming. While he stares off into the nothing, right behind Louise, he swallows.

 

“Vaughn, all I could think of was Vaughn. I wanted it to be him.” 

 

The silence is too painful to bear, but he suffers through it. 

 

“It wasn’t fair to him, it really wasn’t. It wasn’t, it just wasn’t good, and I’d apologize to him, and I’d apologize to Vaughn, but, I, I just, I feel scared. Am I crazy?” 

 

“You’re not crazy, Rhys,” Louise says it like she’s never been more sure of anything in her life, “It’s like your company, Rhys, Atlas. You have an entire planet on your back, and you force yourself to keep it up, keep it on your shoulders, because you feel like you have to, like that’s the only choice available, but, Rhys,” She gives his hand a squeeze, “People aren’t titans, and you can’t make yourself into one, it’s, it’s impossible, Rhys. Stress like this, it’s damaging, damaging to your mental health, your physical health, and it damages the people around you. You can’t hold Promethea up by yourself. I can’t fix your problems with a magic wand, Rhys, only you can look inside yourself and make the changes you want to see. You need to be your own hero, Rhys. There’s an infinite amount of worlds out there waiting to be discovered, your story doesn’t have to end here, stuck on Promethea forever,” 

 

Rhys doesn’t talk much after that, mumbles and mumbles and mumbles, and then she’s gone, gone home, home where she belongs, she says something kind, something sweet, a goodbye, but Rhys doesn’t respond. 

 

He stares out the window, the large reminder of the world outside right behind his desk, he stares at the neon lights, the lasers, the Maliwan drop ships, the explosions, a never ending fight, a day that goes on forever, it never sleeps. 

 

He walks past Abigail, and tells her to send a fruit-basket to Katagawa, with a tiny card that says, ‘Thank you,’ and he tells her, “Thank you,’” and she smiles. 

 

He coughs into his fist, deciding to digest everything Louise said to him within the comfort of his own apartment.

 

Heels clicking through the corridor towards the elevator, and Rhys puts his hands into his pockets.

 

“Hey, Zer0,” He says, not even glancing to the side, knowing that Zer0’ll flicker into existence once he acknowledges them, which they do.

 

They give him an emoticon smile, and they say, “Good to see you, Rhys. Thank you for my brand new sword, I will kill many.” 

 

Rhys returns the smile, “No problem, think of it as an apology for acting like an asshole,” 

 

“You were an asshole, the biggest douche-bag in town, how was therapy?”

 

Rhys gives them a funny look, saying, “Uh, you weren’t, uh, in my office, right? Right?”

 

Shaking their head, they reply, “It's patient doctor confidentiality. I waited outside.”

 

“Oh, uh, thanks for that. Serious business went down in there, let me tell you, uh, not actually going to tell you, sorry,” 

 

The two board the elevator, and after a moment of silence, Rhys gets their attention with a fake cough.

 

“Zer0, hey, I, uh, I wanted to thank you,” 

 

“You're thanking me, now? For the lavender candles, or perhaps something else?”

 

He laughs, saying, “They are nice candles, but, uh, that’s not what I’m thanking you for. You, Lorelei, Abigail, you all, uh, really smacked some sense into me, and I really appreciate it.” 

 

Zer0 stares at him vacantly, and then, finally, there’s a heart. 

 

“Apology accepted, we fight together as one, Maliwan's defeat comes,”

 

Zer0 is so cool. 

 

“Hell yeah, Zer0,” 

 

The elevator door slides shut, and Zer0 remains with Rhys the whole descent down. 

 

Lorelei throws a small piece of rubble out into the open like a rock in a pond, and sits back down next to Vaughn. 

 

“You know, I’ve been, uh, figuring myself out, finding out who I am, and, you know, I really appreciate this. Feels nice to just relax,” 

 

Vaughn smiles, “No problem, Lorelei,” 

 

“I’m nonbinary,” They say. 

 

Vaughn offers a fist, “Celebration fistbump?” 

 

Lorelei laughs, and accepts his invitation, giving him a proper fistbump, bros for life. “Thanks, Vaughn,” 

 

So, the two of them sit on the roof of the bar, watching the chaos above their heads, neon lights and explosions. Vaughn finds his eyes remaining on the kingdom of Atlas, still standing tall and proud. 

 

“Lorelei, thanks,” Vaughn eventually says, “For the supplies. I really appreciate it,” 

 

“Well, figured we could spare a few supplies. Glad you actually got them, Maliwan just loves ruining supply runs,” 

 

“You know, I haven’t seen much of Maliwan,” Vaughn replies, “How’s the war going?” 

 

Lorelei shrugs, and then they rub the back of their neck, “Yeah, things haven’t gotten much better, but, uh, Rhys,” 

 

Vaughn’s eyes are on them in a heartbeat. 

 

“He’s changing,” They admit, “I think he’s really trying to pull his head out of his ass,” 

 

“Oh,” Vaughn says, “Really?” 

 

“Yeah, really, cut off ties with his Maliwan buddy, he’s been apologizing to everyone he screwed over,” 

 

Vaughn looks down, and they notice that.

 

“Except you,” They note, “Slag me, the poor bastard’s still scared of you,” 

 

He nervously brings his hands together, and he says, “Can I talk to you about something?” 

 

Lorelei nods, “Go ahead,” 

 

So, Vaughn drags a breath in, and takes the pin out.

 

Maybe bandits can find love. 

 

“I spent a lot of time, uh, denying, because I was scared about the truth. I didn’t want to face it because I was scared to get hurt, but, uh, I’ve thought about it, a lot, god, I’ve thought about it, and,” 

 

Vaughn runs his fingers through Rhys’s hair, so carefully, so gently, he stays far away from the piece of metal in his temple, the skin around it red and angered, he doesn’t say anything, and he doesn’t complain. There’s the occasional whine from Rhys, the occasional sniffle, he looks miserable, Vaughn winces when he tries to think about the pain Rhys is going through. He’d ask why Rhys did it, shoving electronics into your body just for a leg up in the race, but he doesn’t. He lets Rhys rest. Sometimes, when Rhys falls asleep completely, he looks calm, serene, jaw unclenched and brow eased, and those are the moments Vaughn treasures. Rhys’s fingers, the metal ones, they twitch and twitch, like they’re trying to come alive on their own. It sends a shiver down Vaughn’s spine, but he knows how much Rhys wanted the upgrade. So, Vaughn continues stroking Rhys’s head, thanking god for the time off. Normally, Vaughn would hate to play caretaker, he’s had to do it on more than one occasion, Rhys always found a way to get himself sicker than a dog, but right now, he can’t complain, he’s just a ball of worry and anxiety, he wants to babble, talk endlessly to Rhys, but Rhys has been through enough. Chest rising, chest falling, Rhys breathes softly, and Vaughn wonders where he put his glasses. Vaughn’s thumb gets close to his temple port, and Vaughn’s breath stops. Rhys doesn’t jolt awake, but his breath catches, eyes opening slowly. He turns his head, baby blue glowing through the dark room, the pupil shuttering like a camera, it’s something Vaughn has to get used to. Rhys appears completely unfazed, like it’s just a normal day, and he sleepily wheezes something out, ‘You look so pretty in blue,’ he croaks, offering Vaughn a crooked smile. Vaughn’s caught off guard, and his face goes red, but that infectious smile digs itself into Vaughn’s mind, and so, he smiles back, ‘Yeah, I love you, too, Rhys,’ He says, and then he immediately regrets it, the smile fading from his face, but, Rhys doesn’t react negatively, ‘I love you, too,’ He says, happy and hazey, and then he’s turning back around, eyes sliding shut, and Vaughn is left breathless. Later on, Rhys can’t recall what happened between them. 

 

“God, I’m in love with Rhys,” 

 

Lorelei smirks, “Yeah, that’s pretty obvious, mate,” 

 

“I love him,” Vaughn repeats, “I am so, so in love with him,” 

 

“You oughta go tell him that, then. You might get yourself a trophy husband,” 

 

Vaughn looks at them, “A trophy husband, seriously?” 

 

The two of them laugh, and laugh, and laugh. 

 

When Rhys gets home, the first thing he does is throw his vest onto the back of the nearest chair. He runs a hand through his hair, noting the overwhelming smell of lavender, and lets out a long breath. While he unbuttons his dress shirt, he stares outside the patio door, Meridian is in one of it’s day cycles right now, thought Rhys isn’t too sure how it’ll last. The sky is a lovely pink, and for a second, Rhys feels at peace. Everything is so, so silent, Rhys remembers when the silence in his apartment was nerve racking. He opens his fridge, and he’s a little caught off guard. A full fridge, for once. Rhys’s eyes dart upwards, coming face to face with a small yellow sticky-note, ‘Zer0 let me in, take care of yourself, boss, -T’ So, Rhys makes a sandwich, and it’s the best sandwich he’s had in years. 

 

Louise said that she’d come back in a week, and offered a number to call. 

 

So, now that he’s alone, he can actually think.

 

But, first, he gets a call. 

 

He lowers his third sandwich in a row down back onto its plate and he looks down at his palm, fingers twitching. His brow furrows, and he squints his eyes. 

 

He accepts the call.

 

“You, uh, Vault Hunter, what is it?” 

 

“Good to see you too, Rhys,” Zane replies, “Heard about you and Amara’s little squabble, wish I could’ve been there, would’ve supplied the popcorn,” 

 

Rhys rolls his eyes, “Zane, what do you want,” 

 

“You take a look through that Maliwan data?” He asks.

 

“Of course I did,” Rhys answers, “I’m sort of the one that hacked into it?” 

 

“You check it recently?” 

 

“Haven’t really had the time,” Rhys’s voice softens, and he says, “Why?” 

 

“Thought you might need to see this, seemed important and all,” 

 

“What is it?” 

 

“Location of the damn holy grail,” Zane replies, faking excitement, and then he corrects himself, “Security footage,” 

 

“Oh, uh, thanks,” Rhys forces himself to say, recalling Lorelei’s brutal honesty, “I’ll take a look at it,” 

 

“You got crumbs in your mustache, by the way,” 

 

Rhys hangs up on him. 

 

Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Rhys rises from his seat, abandoning his sandwich. He keeps his palm open, and sighs. No rest for the wicked, he figures, he’ll get his break soon enough. 

 

So, finally, he opens the file Zane slid his way, and his hardened gaze softens a bit. 

 

First, it’s too quiet, so he flicks his pinkie a bit, and then, there’s an echo ringing out through his apartment. 

 

Katagawa sits with his ankles crossed, hands put together, while a pair of hands are against the desk in front of him. Katagawa starts bouncing his legs, and he says, “I know you’re angry,” 

 

A woman leans forward, and Rhys gets a look at the fury in her face, “You are wasting our assets on some petty squabble, we are losing more money than we’re making,” Her voice is deep and authoritative, Rhys has seen her before, Rhys knows who this is, “I am more than angry,”  

 

That’s Katagawa Sr. 

 

“I know, I know, but I, I have a solution,” Katagawa stutters, terrified, “I can still turn this around, Ma’am, just give me some more time,”

 

“I don’t want to hear about another one of your stupid plans, Junior, I have given you more than enough time, I am sick of it, I am sick of you,” 

 

Katagawa takes a deep breath, loud enough for Rhys to hear, and when he exhales, he says, “I know, but you’ll want to hear this, Ma’am. I know what I need to do to bring Atlas down to its knees,” 

 

“Spit it out then,” Senior says before throwing herself back into her office chair, “This better be good,” 

 

“Oh, it is, I assure you, see, I was just playing, Ma’am, but now? I know how to hit them hard,” He sounds terrified, desperate, voice shaking and shaking, the words aren't matching his tone.

 

Katagawa presses a finger to his throat, and Rhys goes slack-jawed.

 

Oh no, no, no, no, no.

 

Wearing Rhys's skin like a Halloween costume, Katagawa glares up at his mother.

 

“You better be able to pull this off, Junior,” Senior says, “Don’t let that stupid crush of yours get in the way, whatever you’re doing, you make it hurt,” She growls, “Or I’ll have no choice but to fire you, and throw you out a god damned airlock,”  

 

“I know, Ma’am,” Katagawa says in a stolen voice, “I’m going to make a little visit, have a little chat with an old friend, and then we’ll have our bait,” 

 

Rhys’s hand starts to tremble. 

 

“One more slip-up, Junior, and I’ll have to take matters into my own hands,” She says, “Starting by snapping that little Atlas twig’s throat myself, do I make myself clear?” 

 

“Yes, Ma’am,” 

 

“Good, now get out of my office,” 

 

Rhys balls his hand into a fist, and he’s out of the door in an instant, drums in his ears, and a knife floating dangerously close to his chest. 

 

Nobody is going to hurt him, not on Rhys’s watch. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @VlPERDRlVE IM BACK AT IT AGAIN! WITH SHAKEDOWN!

**Author's Note:**

> lets see if bucky actually ends up finishing a fic for once! follow me at frogforest on tumblr


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